Team Zero
by Cataquack Warrior
Summary: Team Rocket has always wanted to serve a Boss that truly cared for them. Louise Valliere has always wanted to prove that she is not a failure as a mage. Together, the new Team Zero will find the strength to achieve their dreams- so run for cover!
1. Prologue: A New Boss and Mission

I do not own _Pokémon_ or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Prologue: A New Boss and Mission

It was another beautiful day in the world of _Pokémon_. In the meadows the Bellossom were dancing. In the sea the Magikarp were swimming. And in the sky, a trio of humans was falling from the sky. "This is all your fault James!" the redheaded woman complained to her blue-haired companion.

"Jessie," he whined, "how is this my fault?"

"You were the one who broke our cover by attacking that salesman! If you hadn't, we could have had Pikachu right in our clutches."

"You know," the catlike member of the trio pointed out to Jessie, "I remember that you were the one who spilled all the Pokéballs, so…ouch!" he cried out at her midair stomp.

"Don't make me drag you into this Meowth!" she shouted.

"That's right!" James said. "You were supposed to be a demure Bellsprout, not complain about the food service!"

Jessie sighed in exasperation. "Why does it seem we never catch Pikachu?"

"Don't worry," Meowth assured her. "I'm sure the Boss will send more support once we pay up our debt."

"Don't forget," James noted sardonically, "the Boss' lack of concern for us is how we ended up having to rejoin Team Rocket in the first place. Sometimes, I just wish we had a Boss who cared more for us."

"Don't say that!" Meowth said angrily. "The Boss and Team Rocket are our lives! Without them, what are we?"

"Oh, cheer up!" James told them. "Our day has to come sometime."

"For now," James moaned, "I would just take a soft cushion to land on."

Any further banter was interrupted as a strange light appeared directly under them. Shaped like a giant mirror, the apparition hovered midair, aligned perfectly with the team's current trajectory. With Team Rocket's experience in destructive threats, ranging from dancing Clefairy to berserk Legendary birds, the Team Rocket survival instinct instantly kicked in. "Oh no!" Meowth screamed, as he and the others tried to backpedal through the air. However, their blast velocity held, hurling them headlong into the portal.

The garden grounds of Vestri Court were filled with rampant tension. For the majority of the students and faculty of the Tristain Academy of Magic, the source of anxiety lay with the seemingly delicate pink-haired girl standing in the center of the atrium. The greatest stress though lay with the nervous girl, who trembled in anxiety and determination as she began to chant. She had been Zero too long, always a failure and outcast. Now she would show them all, and summon a familiar the likes of which they had never seen. The students flinched reflexively as the spell reached its end, only to blink at the silent and empty lawn. "Nothing?" a voice broke out through the crowd. "Louise, you really are a Zero! At least when you have an explosion you have something; here you have nothing!" Louise fell to the ground in tears as the laughter rumbled through the congregants. Suddenly, a scream drew all the students' attention to the sky. Down came several figures, barreling into Louise. As the dust cleared, the students could make out two humans, apparently commoners, along with a strange cat, sitting on top of Louise.

"At least that landing was almost soft," Jessie sighed as she slowly rose up. Seeing the multitude of people around them, Team Rocket quickly regained their senses and leaped backwards.

"Jessie," James asked worriedly, "what do we do?"

"That's easy James," Jessie answered. "We'll show these naïve little children what true evil is!" Taking their traditional poses, the team began to recite their terrifying speech. "Prepare for trouble…"

The students stared dumbfounded as the three continued their unintelligible chant, unable to comprehend the absurdity. "Miss Valliere…" the professor finally stammered.

"Yes, Mr. Colbert?" Louise asked anxiously.

"You must complete the ritual."

"Please," she begged, "let me try the summoning one more time!"

"That cannot be allowed, Miss Valliere," he said. "When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which you did."

"But I summoned three of them!" she protested desperately. "And two of them are commoners! Can't I just take the cat and leave it at that?" The cat looked decent for a familiar, and she'd be happy under normal circumstances. Emphasis on normal. Although she might have won some praise by summoning that cat, summoning two extra commoners would just give her peers more fuel to mock her.

Professor Colbert shook his head. "That would be too risky. Multiple summonings are rare but have been recorded, and it is generally unwise to only keep one and reject the others. All are summoned with a purpose in mind, and it would be dangerous both to the familiars and yourself to risk tampering with the bonds offered."

"Now," he instructed her, "please complete the ritual." Louise bowed her head and slowly walked over to the three familiars, who were still ranting madly.

"Team Rocket!" Jessie shouted. "Blast off at the speed of ligh…urk!"

Oblivious to Jessie's distress, James continued the motto. "Surrender now or prepare to figh…urk!"

"Meowth, dat's righ…" Meowth was stopped short as he, just like his two partners, was caught in a sudden kiss by the strange pink-haired twerpette. "Hey!" he shouted indignantly. "What was that for?" However, he was caught off guard as burning pain worse than Pikachu's lightning coursed through his body and, by the sounds of the screams, Jessie and James as well. Strange markings began to form on their hands and paws, sending pain wherever they sprouted.

"Don't be babies," the pink girl said, rolling her eyes. "The Familiar's Runes are simply being inscribed. And why do you commoners allow yourself to use that language in front of a noble?"

"We'll say anything we want!" Meowth said furiously, drawing his claws out. "And nobody messes with Team Rocket and gets away with it! Much less a tiny Twerp!"

"What did you say?" Louise asked, eyes flaring.

The confrontation was interrupted when the adult with glasses turned back to the crowd and said, "Well, let's go back to class everyone." Suddenly, the people began to float in the air, heading towards the stone walls of the castle in the distance.

"Louise," one student jeered before flying off, "you'd better walk back."

"H…how'd dey do dat?" Meowth stammered.

"Psychic Pokémon maybe?" James suggested.

Team Rocket turned back to question Louise, only to be preemptively countered as she questioned, "Who are you?" Team Rocket stiffened in indignation, but then smirked; the trio always took any opportunity to showcase their talents.

"We are," Jessie boasted.

"The invincible," James continued.

"And unbeatable!" Meowth added.

"Team Rocket!" they shot out together, breaking into another pose.

"Team Rocket?" Louise asked. "And just who are they? A trio of village idiots?"

"Hey!" Jessie said. "Team Rocket is one of the world's greatest organizations, stretching from Indigo to Johto."

"Never heard of it," Louise responded it, "but you likely came from some backwoods place."

"What do you mean backwoods?" Jessie shouted. "This must be the backwoods! Just where is this place? We thought that we landed in Johto, but somehow we blasted off even farther than we expected."

"Johto?" Louise asked. "What country is it in?"

"Country?" James asked in confusion. "Civilizations abandoned that archaic form of geographic designation centuries ago. Nowadays the world is divided by continent into regions. Here," he said, drawing out an unfamiliar map, "You can see that over here is the Johto region. Admittedly it's an extension of the larger Toh continent, but it certainly wouldn't be called a country."

"Never hear of it," Louise said, staring confounded at the strange map. Did she summon from beyond the East perhaps? If she did, maybe that would make up, however little, for the poor quality of her familiars.

"This is great!" Jessie exclaimed. "I've always wanted to discover a new region!"

"Are you sure?" Meowth asked skeptically. "I'm pretty sure Hoenn was the next thing the narrators had in mind, with Sinnoh after that…"

Jessie however was ignoring him, and took out a flag with a bright red 'R' displayed on its banner, which she handed to James. Planting it firmly in the ground, James declared, "I hereby claim this region in the name of the Pokémon League and Team Rocket!"

"You could have just claimed it for Giovanni," Jessie reminded him, "A whole region would make a great gift for the Boss, you know."

"Sorry Jessie," James said unrepentantly, "but this is a big moment."

"So," Jessie said, turning back to Louise, "Exactly what it the name of this region?"

"And just how did dose people fly on their own?" Meowth demanded. "They shoulda at least needed a Psychic to do so!"

Gritting her teeth at her familiars' lack of respect, Louise answered, "This is Tristain, but if you're asking about the whole continent, this is the land of Halkeginia. As for the flying," she said patronizingly, "Of course they did! What would we do if mages couldn't fly?"

"Mages?" Meowth yelled, jumping up to Louise's face. "Just what is this place?"

Yanking Meowth off her, Louise said "This is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"

"Oh, an academy!" James said. "That makes sense. It does have a familiar feel to it, doesn't it Jessie?"

"It sure does," Jessie said wistfully, peering around her. "Lot of bratty, arrogant, bullying students with no experience in the real world…"

"Hey!" Louise blurted out indignantly. "Tristain Academy is a great honor for young nobles as they prepare for their debut in the world." Unfortunately, her defense of the institution was belied by her gradually forming tears, as the comment on bullies brought back her feelings of failure.

Touched by the tears, Team Rocket softened and wiped away her tears. "Sorry," Meowth said, "we didn't mean to hurt ya!"

"It's okay," James said comfortingly, "School isn't the end of the world."

"It certainly isn't," Jessie added. "We completely flunked our academy days too, and things still worked out for us."

Her sadness gone, Louise quickly found her emotions replaced with anger, and shoved her familiars off her. "I don't need your pity!" she screamed furiously. The thing that made her the maddest was their comment about failing their time at the academy, and the implications it had. On the one hand, perhaps it meant that these familiars were nobles of sort, albeit disowned ones. However, the fact that they failed the academy had a disturbing parallel to her own life. Was this just another sign that she was a failure? No! She shook herself of such thoughts. She could not give up yet!

"Fine!" Jessie said in a huff. "Forgive us for being caring for once. This is exactly why we prefer to be villains! But I'm still confused," she told Louise. "I've seen people fly before, but always with a Psychic guiding…"

"Wait," Meowth said, voice tense, "by 'Academy of Magic', do ya's mean dat all the students here can channel elemental powers?"

"That is correct," Louise answered. Team Rocket stared at her in utter horror. Elemental humans were not entirely unfamiliar to them; after all, legend stated that there used to be entire civilizations of people who held the power of Pokémon within them. But those special people were rare and hidden in the modern world. And each one had the potency, in comparison to regular humans, akin to a fearsome Gyrados in comparison to its pitiful Magikarp relations. And now they were in the proverbial Ursaring's den with an entire school of them!

"We're doomed," Meowth noted quietly. James began to back up, step by step, before trying to break out into a mad dash; if not for Jessie holding him, he might have crossed Johto in five minutes- if, that is, they were still in that relatively peaceful region.

"Relax," Jessie told him, "It's just a bunch of them jammed together into one narrow place! It's not like there are 'mages' scattered all around this region…"

"Actually," Louise cut in, "There are mages throughout all of Halkeginia."

Team Rocket stopped and stared at her deadpan. "Dis is one crazy region!" Meowth stated.

"Hold on," James said, reflecting on an old tale he heard as a lad about the ancient times. It was said at that time that Pokéballs were only a substitute, albeit a very competent one, for the old bonds that connected humans and Pokémon. "This…familiar summoning. That man, a Professor no doubt, he had you bond with your starter, didn't he?"

"A convoluted explanation, but yes," Louise said.

"You mean you caught us?" Jessie exclaimed. "But we're humans! While, at least two of us are," she amended, glancing at Meowth.

"I know," Louise grunted in frustration, "And I'm none too happy about it. I wanted something wicked like a dragon or griffin or manticore. At least an owl or eagle. Instead I just get a miscellany of random familiars, most of which are just commoners."

"Well," James offered, "if you want, we could always try to catch one of those for you."

"What are you, some kind of monster-hunters?" Louise asked. "You can try, but the familiar ceremony is a sacred ritual, and cannot be cheaply imitated. Anyways," she sighed, looking at Meowth, "at least I got one normal familiar. Now why did those other two have to get dragged along…?"

"Sorry," Meowth said, "but the three of us are a team; where one of us goes, we all go. So don't worry. You got what you wanted, plus an entire team."

"Aren't you concerned about being summoned?" Louise asked.

"Of course we are," Jessie said. "We have dignity as an elite team of agents, but we're used to being on the short end of the stick."

"What about my concerns?" Louise asked.

"What do you mean by that?" James asked, sensing Louise's sadness.

"How could I, the third daughter of the Valliere family...a noble who takes pride in her proper pedigree and ancient lineage, end up having things like you as familiars?"

"Hey!" Meowth snapped. "We aint that bad. In any case, new things are always good; if all else fails, it gives you something nobody else has."

"Still not what I wanted," Louise grumbled, but she ceased fuming. While this may not have been a success, it was not an entire failure. It was certainly better than summoning nothing like last year. "Follow me to my quarters," she ordered, "And we'll talk further there."

"Um…" James stammered, "I know those other students flew back on their own, but is it okay if we walk on foot please? We've flown before, but it's not something we like to do that often."

"Yes, if you don't mind," Jessie concurred. "We already had one trip up to the sky today as you saw, and we wouldn't last another one on the same day."

"If you insist," Louise sighed, albeit while feeling a sense of superiority. At the very least there was someone even lower than her.

"So none of this looks familiar to you?" James asked in Louise's room.

"No," Louise answered, setting down the maps that Team Rocket had given her. None of the landmarks matched anything in Halkeginia. "Is it possible that you hail from beyond Rub al Khali, beyond the Holy Land?"

"Sorry, haven't heard of it," Meowth said. "But it's no biggie. Lost regions like these happen all the time. We just have to figure just exactly where we are in conjunction with the rest of the world. It's probably across a sea or something, but we can find a way home eventually."

"I'm not sure," James hesitantly put forward. "This place seems different from normal regions. I can't help but feel that we're even farther off then we think."

"Don't be so negative James," Jessie told him. "This region has lots of things in common with the other regions. Magical creatures, grass, woods, mountains…"

"Double the moons."

"Double the moo…what are you talking about?" she shot at Meowth.

"Look out dere," he pointed. The team went to the window and gazed in shock at the sight before them. Two giant moons hovered in the sky above. "Whoa," Meowth said, "The moons sure are big tonight. Looks like they got to the size of the Earth itself."

"Yeah," James noted, "but their colors seem to be off. They shouldn't be red and blue like that."

"More importantly," Jessie slowly grinded out before yelling, "why are there two moons when there used to be just one?"

"Of course there are," Louise said. "Now would you please mind telling me what the fuss is about?"

The team turned around, grave expressions on their faces. "Well," Jessie said faintly, "we might be a little more off the charts than we anticipated."

"You said it," Meowth exclaimed, plopping onto the floor tiredly, "and I thought Clefairy were the only Pokémon to travel to new worlds."

"New…worlds?" Louise asked, looking at them with an expression of disbelief.

"Looks like it," James answered.

"I can't believe it," Louise said, shaking her head.

"Look," Meowth said, "neither can we. And we've seen a lot of bizarre things, let me tell ya."

"By another world, what do you mean?" Louise asked, hoping that it was a figurative expression. She had had just enough madness today to fill her entire stay at the academy. Unfortunately, it seemed the true chaos was just rising.

"Well," Jessie said, "for one, it doesn't have an extra moon, and both look weird too!"

"Also," James answered, "there are not so many 'mages' where we come from."

"There's a world like that?" Louise asked, boggled. "A world without magic?"

"Not without magic," Meowth answered, "no sir! It's just that the magic isn't with the humans; it's with the Pokémon."

"Po…ke…mon?" Louise fumbled the strange name.

"Animals with special powers," James answered, "Like what those students used to fly."

"Oh, but there are magical creatures everywhere!" Louise said dismissively. "But a world without mages?"

"Of course there is!" Jessie yelled, nerves frayed. "We come from one. How difficult is that to grasp?"

"Don't yell at me," Louise ordered, "you commoner."

"Who are ya calling a commoner?" Meowth demanded.

"Well," Louise said, "you're not a mage, right? So you're a commoner," she explained arrogantly.

"What does it matter if you're a mage or not?" James asked.

"Look, do you really know nothing of the world?" Louise asked in frustration.

"We keep telling you," Jessie shouted, "We're not from this one!"

At that, Louise set her elbows on the table with a troubled look. "a world without magic or nobility is just…impossible," she mumbled.

"Like we said," James told her, "there is still plenty of magic in our world. And we do have nobility there. It just isn't based on magic for obvious reasons. And it's become a rather rare thing of late."

"Yeah," Jessie said pointedly, "but it doesn't help when the new generation runs off to explore the world."

"Hey!" James said furiously. "You of all people should know I left my inheritance and estates behind for very good reason."

"Sorry," Jessie apologized. "It's just frustrating that here in Team Rocket we struggle to break even at the end of the day, while back at your mansion…"

"Mansions," James corrected her. "We had a couple of summer estates in Sinnoh."

"Mansion-mansions, big deal" Jessie corrected in annoyance. "You had enough wealth to buy the Indigo Plateau, and the luxury I have always dreamed of, yet you throw it all away!"

"It wasn't like I had much of a choice," James protested.

"We're Team Rocket," Jessie countered. "When life doesn't give us a choice, we make one of our own, usually by stealing one from somewhere else. But no…"

"Wait," Louise interrupted, "You're a noble?"

"Used to be," James said, "but not since I was young."

"Good then," Louise said, "because without magic, you're just the same as any other commoner here."

"Fine," Jessie said. "Not a big problem; we're used to being at the bottom of the barrel."

"I still find your claim dubious," Louise said; however, her subsequent action of plopping down on her bed revealed her inner acceptance- and bafflement- of the bizarre tale. "Show me some proof," she ordered.

"Let's see," James said, opening their group's backpack and beginning to toss out various items. "I just know that one of the pictures shows it…" While James searched for his proof, Louise stared curiously at the other objects that now littered her floor. She held a strange cylindrical item up to her head, only to drop it in pain as a stray finger activated a bright light that briefly blinded her.

"What kind of magic artifact is that?" Louise demanded.

"Dere's nothing magical about dat," Meowth said, "just a little flashlight powered by science and technology!"

"I have to admit," Louise conceded, "I've certainly never seen anything like this. What element of magic does it use? Wind? Water?"

"Nothing but technology, like I said," Meowth said, getting a little put off. Louise stared at him blankly.

"So, what kind of element is this 'teknoloji'? Is it different from the four elemental powers?"

"I don't know what you mean by four powers," Meowth said, "but technology and science are whole different fields."

"And they certainly aren't magic," Jessie said, "more's the pity. Would be great if we actually had magical artifacts, but that's unlikely with our budget."

Reclining on her bed, Louise shrugged dispassionately. "Hmmm. But I really don't understand it."

"You're not the only one," Jessie told her. "It takes a lot of understanding to master. But think of it like this- you didn't use magic to walk here, did you?"

"No," Louise answered grumpily, angry to have her lack of magic brought up again.

"Well," Jessie said triumphantly, "the flashlight is just the same. Just as your feet brought you here without magic, technology can do things without needing any magic whatsoever."

"But walking isn't anything like that!" Louise protested.

"So?" Meowth asked. "Ya still get something to happen. If you're defining magic as elemental, than that makes technology nonmagical. But really, anything has some magic in it." Smiling, he turned back to the glowing moons. "Life's a miracle, ya know. So by dose terms, everything that makes up life- the sky, the moon, the grass, the time, the people- is a miracle, and if that's not magic, den you have no idea what is?"

"Maybe," Louise admitted, staring wistfully at the night sky, "but there is still magic that separates us from mundane commoners."

She looked ready to argue further, if only to prove her hierarchical superiority, but was interrupted when James exclaimed, "Here it is!" He thrust forward a photo of him with a starry background behind him, which included a white and singular moon. "See," he said confidently, "here's sure proof evidence!"

"Alright," Louise said, pulling her long hair, "I believe you."

"Really?" Meowth asked eagerly.

Crossing her arms defiantly, Louise growled, "Only because you would've gone on about it if I didn't say so." But her pale expression belied her apparent skepticism, revealing her gradual acceptance of this bizarre roulette of events.

"Well," James said drooping, "I guess that's one way to go about it."

"Enough of this small talk!" Jessie shouted, growing frustrated with the slow pace of the conversation. "Now, send us back! We have more important things to worry about, like hunting a trio of Twerps."

"I told you," Louise said, "It's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible!" Meowth said firmly. "So what's the big deal?"

"That's because there is no spell that connects this world with another," she explained, discomforted by the implications of her summoning.

"Then how did we end up here?" Jessie objected.

"I wish I knew!" Louise cried out, throwing up her arms in frustration.

"Now, now," James said, "let's all calm down and talk through this.

So this spell wasn't meant to breach dimensions?" James asked.

"Nobody's even heard of another world," Louise answered. "'Summon Servant' is used to call living beings within Halkeginia. Normally, only animals or magical beasts are summoned. This is the first instance that I've seen it work on a human."

"That must be swell for you," Jessie said. "I know people back home who would kill for the power to catch a human."

"Pokémon too," Meowth said, nodding in agreement. Louise pouted quietly amidst Team Rocket's awe, the humiliation returning to her chest. The only thing holding it back was their point- at least she could boast of her familiars' uniqueness, even if they were just commoners. Well, she did have one normal familiar. Unfortunately, he seemed just as mad as the two commoners.

"Wait," James said, thinking of something. "There's something about this that bothers me. You obviously don't use Pokéballs to make the bond, you use your inner magic instead."

"That's right," Louise said, wondering what his point was.

"In that case," James asked in a tense voice, "how does a summoned Pokémon get released? Usually it would involve breaking the ball, but if the magic came from within you…"

"The only way a familiar can be released from its service," Louise said, "and the only way for a mage to use Summon Servant again, is if the familiar dies."

The trio froze in horror at this revelation. "D…die?" Jessie gasped.

"I don't wanna die!" Meowth screamed in panic.

"So I guess we're your personal Pokémon now," James sighed.

"Yes," Louise affirmed, "but the proper term is 'familiar', not this barbarian word you have for it.

Jessie stiffened at this insult, but restrained herself. "So," she asked in poisoned sweetness, "just what does a familiar do?"

"Firstly," Louise said, "a familiar is able to grant its master an enhancement in hearing and vision."

"Cool!" Meowth exclaimed. "That sure must be neat!"

"It would be," Louise said, glaring at them, "except it seems that it doesn't work for you. I can't see anything through our bond."

"That's one part down then," James said, "but we can probably make up for that. What else is there?"

"A familiar will also retrieve items that its master desires," Louise told them.

"Perfect!" Jessie shouted instantly. "we're expert treasure hunters. Just tell us what you want and we'll snag it for you…"

"Do you know what reagents are?" Louise asked dryly.

The three stared at her in confusion. "Reagents?" James asked, baffled.

"They're catalysts for certain spells," Louise elaborated, "and since you don't even know what they are, I doubt you will be much use in that field either."

"Hey!" Meowth objected. "We may need some training to know what we're looking for, but we'll get you lots of these reagents once we know where to look."

Frowning skeptically, Louise shook her head. "Finally, the most important thing is…a familiar exists to protect its master. The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority."

"So we'll be your bodyguards then," James said firmly.

"Dat's right!" Meowth reassured her. "Together we'll be the toughest team of bodyguards you've ever seen."

"I doubt you could defeat a raven, much less a magical beast," Louise told them.

"Don't underestimate us!" Jessie said. "We're the invincible Team Rocket! Nothing can beat us!"

"Nothing but a yellow mouse," James noted before being punched by Jessie.

"Shut up!" she shouted.

"As you can see," Louise said, "I now have three familiars who are in essence utterly useless to me as a mage." Team Rocket shared a brief, gloomy glance with each other.

They knew well enough from their difficult lives just how common rejection was. And as Pokémon, that risk was further compounded. There were plenty of tales about trainers abandoning worthless Pokémon, and from the looks of their master it appeared to be their fate too. As a result, they had little hope for the situation; right now, their only hope was that they could find some gully to rest in for the night. "Well then," James sighed, turning with his teammates towards the door, "we won't bother you any further."

"And just where are you going?" Louise demanded, panicking internally at the thought of losing her familiars; however absurd they were, they were still her only potential source of pride, and she was going to hold on to that prize no matter what. "Who do you think is going to support you? Who do you think is going to give you food? And just whose room are you going to sleep in?"

"We'll figure something out," Jessie said, despondently accepting the reality, "If there is one thing Team Rocket is good at, it's surviving. And it's not like there's any place for us now that you don't want us here…"

"Don't go!" Louise ordered.

Team Rocket stared at her puzzled. "Huh?" James asked. "But you just said that we were worthless."

"You are," Louise nodded, "but you will not humiliate me any further by running away either."

"You mean you're not abandoning us?" Meowth asked, hope shining in his eyes.

"Like I said," Louise said, "the bond between master and familiar lasts until death, so I'll make do with what I have for now."

"Thank you!" they shouted in ecstasy, burying Louise as they tackled her with hugs.

"You won't regret this," James said, tears in his eyes.

"We'll do everything ya say," Meowth said, crying as well.

Wiping her own tears away, Jessie asked, "So what are we going to do as your familiars then? Given what you just said."

"That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do," Louise said. ""Things like laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks."

"Right on!" Meowth exclaimed, his spirit rising. "That's what this team is built for. We're whizzes at grunt work. Cleaning, serving, carrying, ya name it, we can do it!"

"And once we learn more about this world," James assured her, "we'll be able to take on our real duties as Pokémon."

"So," Jessie asked, getting to business, "Where do we sleep? And what's our first assignment?" Louise shrugged and pointed to the floor, eyes daring them to argue with her command. After examining it though, Jessie gave a faint smile. "Not too bad," she observed, rubbing a hand against the cool and hard texture of the stone, "Smooth, very few rough spots other than tile breaks. And looks sturdy too."

"Thanks!" Meowth said, looking at Louise gratefully. "This is the best place we've found to sleep in weeks!" Louise frowned at their enthusiasm. How low could these familiars go? Though, she also did feel a small bit of guilt at their joy over such cheap 'gifts'. It was a gift, a boon to those otherwise pathetic commoners. Yet, their happiness dampened her sense of triumph.

Shaking her head, she continued, "As for your duties…" With that, she began to strip. Now she would so those familiars the proper order. Let them protest and screech all they wished, it was not like she was showing herself to anyone of importance; a dog or cat might get better treatment. However, their reactions were sadly dismal. Jessie looked on with little interest, scanning Louise's body with vain derision. James was too busy sorting out their things to even notice her undressing. Meowth, just like Jessie, looked on, but remained bored. And why not? He didn't exactly where clothes himself. "Here," Louise spat in frustration, tossing her undergarments at them. "Wash these for me tomorrow."

James delicately peeled them off his face, before Jessie unceremoniously yanked them up into a sack. "Not the nicest clothes we've cleaned," she said, wrinkling her face, "But not the worst either. All right troops," she ordered, "Let's get these clothes washed."

"Wait!" Louise yelled, flabbergasted. "Aren't you at all bothered by me undressing in front of you? Or are all you commoners so lowbased?"

Team Rocket stared dumbfounded. "It's not like there's much to see," Jessie said, grooming herself vainly. "As you can see, the only person to watch in this room is me. At the very least, my chest actually has a slope." Louise narrowed her glare.

"I'm confused though," James told Louise. "If viewing nudity is immoral here, then why would you show yourself to us in the first place?"

"It's okay," Meowth told her, ignoring the red look on her face. "I'm a Pokémon you see, and I know how human customs vary between places. If ya need to show yerself, go right ahead, it's completely natural…"

"Get out!" Louise screamed irately, beating them out of the room. As they dashed off, she stared blankly at the door before shutting it and collapsing onto her bed. Founder, what did she ever do to be cursed with such…ridiculous familiars? Well, she'd find some use for them. At the very least, they seemed obedient. If only they had the brains to make that a positive quality. Letting out a deep sigh, Louise drifted off to sleep.

As Louise went to sleep, Team Rocket got into a huddle while they washed the garments under the moonlight. "So what do we do?" Meowth whispered in an attempt to keep their conversation secret.

Such a hope was short-lived, as soon enough Jessie responded to James' suggestion of leaving to find Giovanni with a pounding. "Idiot!" she yelled. "How do you expect to find him in the middle of nowhere? And we all know who we have to blame for this, don't we?"

"But Jessie," he protested vainly, "how is it my fault?"

"If you hadn't messed up, we wouldn't have blasted off and landed in this portal to Mew-knows where!"

"I'd like to point out again that Meowth was the one who…"

"Hey, wait a second!" interjected Meowth, hoping to stop the imminent brawl. "That girl said that we're servants to her, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right," Jessie said.

"Well then, doesn't that make her our new Boss?"

"Meowth! How can you even suggest something like that?" James demanded aghast.

"That's right!" Jessie agreed. "We've always been loyal members of Team Rocket for years. Never once have we questioned our loyalty."

"Hey, chill out," Meowth said in a placating voice. "In case ya two don't remember, we'se been out of a job. Sure, we're hired again now, but we still have to pay up our debts to that stingy Delibird. And fer what? Did the Boss ever provide us with a place to sleep at night? No! We had to sleep in trees or in trash cans. Did the Boss ever give us food? No? We had to scrounge for junk scraps. And did the Boss ever pay attention to us, ever check in on us? No! Well, we have all we need here with this girl."

"You just have a crush on her," Jessie retorted.

"Well," Meowth said sheepishly, "that's the way to treat any Boss. So, are we all in?"

"Fine," Jessie conceded, "but it looks like our new Boss isn't very happy with us."

"I think that most familiars are either Pokémon or…animels, is that the name?" James reflected. "She's probably not happy she got stuck with a couple of humans instead."

"Well," Meowth said determinedly, "that changes tomorrow! Imagine the Boss' face when we bring her a new familiar we stole."

"Alright team," Jessie said, "let's show these nobles that we are the unbeatable Team Rocket!"

"Yay!" they all cheered.

"This here Tristain place better watch out, cuz Team Rocket and its new Boss are taking over!" Meowth said confidently.


	2. Episode I: A New Day for Team Rocket

_I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor_

Episode I: A New Day for Team Rocket

"Rise and shine Boss!" Louise slowly stirred as overly cheery voices drew her out of her sleep. "It's a beautiful day, so get up already!" However, she tried vainly to reject the reality and returned to sleep.

She soon regretted this though, as a deluge of ice cold water made her jump up in a start. "Wh…what? What's going on?" she exclaimed, staring at the three vaguely familiar figures before her. "Who are you?" she demanded, hoping that this was just more of a messed up dream.

"Team Rocket," the red haired beauty- Jessie, was it? - said, "remember?"

"We're the familiars you summoned yesterday," James added.

Louise drooped as she remembered the humiliation yesterday. She was dragged out of her melancholy as Meowth said, "Look, we got dose clothes all tidied up like ya said, so now what? We're ready and raring for more answers, Boss," he said, giving special emphasis on the title. Louise sighed, but allowed a small smile to pierce her gloom. At least her new servants were useful in some ways. Plus, they seemed loyal, even if they used that strange title 'Boss' rather than the proper term of 'Master'.

"Alright," she said, straightening up in preparation, "dress me." Team Rocket froze in confusion.

"What?" James asked.

"Dress me," she commanded. "You must not know because you're commoners, but nobles will not dress themselves when a servant is available."

"Are you sure bout dat?" Meowth said hesitantly, eyeing his increasingly excited partners hesitantly. He had enough difficulty restraining them during that fashion stint in Celadon.

"Of course!" Louise said impatiently. "Now get to it!"

"Yes, Boss!" Jessie and James said in unison and jumping to attention. However, rather than bringing the clothes to Louise, they carried them to the window. Louise watched in horror and rage as James hefted the window open while Jessie tossed all her clothes out.

Dusting off her hands with a sense of finality, Jessie noted, "That's that! Now to dress you up."

"With what?" Louise demanded. "You just tossed out all my clothes, you stupid, moronic familiars!"

"Now, now, Boss," Jessie told her, "if we're in charge of your wardrobe, you're going to have to wear something better than those old rags."

"Yep!" James agreed. "But don't worry. Team Rocket always has an entire wardrobe of clothing at its disposal, and we're the Elites at makeovers!" With that, the two tackled Louise. Meowth stepped back to a safe distance and watched the ensuing scuffle unfold.

"And voila!" Jessie and James exclaimed, striking poses to the side as the new Louise was revealed, her beautiful outfit dampened by her visible rage.

"What is this?" Louise demanded irately, hands poised on her exposed hips in indignation. She looked almost like one of those sailors that he mother sometimes invited over. Except that none of those proud sailors would ever sink so low as to wear a travesty like this! The upper half was shortened to the point that her belly button was visible to all if she bent but an inch. And the humiliation did not stop there. Knee-high socks connected her too-scandalous skirt with the shining pink slippers on her feet. Pink ribbons adorned the entirety of the suit. The outfit would have had some class with its exotic design if not for the fact that it was so…immodest!

"It's just a school uniform," Jessie said.

"It gives you more elegance this way," James said. "After all, a noble needs to look her best."

"Well," Louise said, "no noble in their right mind would dress this way!"

In that case," Jessie said, miffed at the insult to her costume skills, "let's go for something a little more…tomboyish then." After another intense scuffle, Jessie and James emerged with Louise, now in a different garb. The clothes she wore now lacked the sexual indecency of the first outfit, but only at the cost of concealing her femininity, as they seemed more fit for a man than a woman. She was covered from waist down, not by a dress befitting a noble, but with a pair of commoner pants! And she now wore strange, rough-looking shoes- tennis shoes, they called them- that made her seem like some commoner rather than a noble.

"This won't do either!" Louise yelled furiously. "I'm a noble! I have my dignity to preserve."

"Guess third time's the charm then," James said before diving back into the fray.

"That's it!" Louise screamed, taking hold of the chaos in the only way she knew- kicking her idiotic familiars until they fled the room. "I can dress myself, thank you very much!" she said, slamming the door shut and barring it to be safe. Sighing now that the madness had passed, she walked to the window and peered out. Her garments were now scattered about, blown by the wind. She'd have to collect them after class; there was no way that she was going to leave it up to her familiars after this debacle! But for now she had no clothes.

Sadly, it seemed that she was going to have to take her pick of those outrageous costumes that lay sprawled across her bed. If Kirche saw her today, that Zerbst would never let her forget. Louise perused the outfits, desperately searching for one that did not make her any more a Zero than she already was. She considered the schoolgirl clothes, but quickly rejected them. School clothes, ha! Maybe for a Germanian slut, but the day students wore something like that would be the day she'd dress like a boy. Sighing heavily, Louise forced herself to go with the commoner 'tomboy' fit, knowing that it didn't make much difference which outfit she chose.

As soon as she was dressed in her new attire, she dashed out of the room, hoping to catch her familiars before they caused any more trouble for her. To her dismay, they had stopped to speak with a fiery-haired beauty. Of all the people they had to talk to, it had to be that Zerbst!

"Oh, good morning, Valliere," the redhead said in false kindness, failing to hide the mischief in her eyes.

"Hello, Kirche von Zerbst," Louise replied, sticking to the formalities to avoid getting into any deeper conversations.

Kirche did not let up though, and peered curiously at Louise's outfit. "That certainly is a…unique style, if I do say so," she commented. "Fits you very well, Zero."

Louise ignored the barb and turned to her familiars. "Come one," she insisted, "we need to get to breakfast."

"Don't worry Boss," Meowth said, not catching her drift, "we can still make it to breakfast. Need to stop and smell the Vileplumes once and awhile."

"Yes," James agreed, gazing at the fiery-red lizard beside her, "we were just looking at this very nice Charmaleon."

"Is that a salamander?" Louise asked, jealous at Kirche's luck with a familiar.

"That's right!" Kirche crowed. "A fire lizard! See," she said, gesturing at its tail, "a flame this vivid and large means it's no doubt from the Fire Dragon Mountains. It's like a brand! Collectors can't even put a price on these!"

"They sure can't," Jessie said admiringly, while discreetly signaling to Meowth. Taking out a large mallet, Meowth began to quietly approach the familiar while everyone was preoccupied. This was the perfect prize for the Boss; even if she didn't want it, they could always sell it for a fortune.

Meanwhile, Louise stared at her longtime rival, fury boiling within her. "That's…nice," she said, without a single drop of sincerity.

Kirche on the other hand ignored the sarcasm and agreed, "Isn't it? It matches my affinity perfectly!"

"Are you a Fire type?" James asked curiously.

"Of course," Kirche said, beaming proudly. "After all, I'm Kirche the Ardent. The ardent of gently smoldering passion. Everywhere I go, I have boys falling over me. Unlike other people I know," she noted, glancing at Louise.

Louise looked ready to argue, but was stopped when Jessie stepped forward. "News flash sister," Jessie said angrily, "but the real queen of beauty now is yours truly."

Kirche looked analytically at her for a second, and then threw her head back in dismissal. "Sorry," she told Jessie condescendingly, "but you have a ways to go, even if you are pretty cute for a little old human familiar."

"What?" Jessie let out a banshee cry before lunging at Kirche, only to be restrained by James.

"Calm down Jessie," he reassured her. "Even if she has all the glamor…"

"Which she doesn't!" Jessie shot back at him.

"We still have the indomitable spirit of Team Rocket!" he reminded her.

You are interesting familiars," Kirche commented, leaning in to inspect James. "And what is your name?" she asked.

"James," he answered. Reflecting his past childhood, James automatically went into a polite bow, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kirche…"

"Von Zerbst," Kirche told him, eyes twinkling with curiosity. It certainly seemed that Louise had summoned some exotic familiars; not that she'd say that much to her.

"And what of your last name?" she inquired.

"I don't use one. Haven't for a long time," James said, a tone of melancholy in his voice. "Alright," he told Louise, "let's find this breakfast you were talking about."

Kirche watched the three wandered off and spoke to herself, "Such intriguing familiars. Especially that blue haired one. If he wasn't a commoner, I might actually consider dating him. What do you think, Flame?" she asked. The fire salamander remained silent, but let loose a quiet puff of smoke to indicate its dissatisfaction; it gave an angry glare at the cat as it scampered off.

As they passed down the halls, Jessie took a side glance at Meowth and groaned. Meowth was singed all over with various burns. Obviously Plan A to snag the lizard had been a disaster. "So I take it you weren't able to catch it," Jessie whispered.

"Nope," Meowth sighed. "Dat Charmaleon just took one look at her and set me on fire. It's definitely what we're looking for," he noted, eyes gleaming. "Imagine: it could be the new heating system for the Boss' room."

"There was a bit of a draft last night," Jessie reflected in agreement, "but let's not be too hasty. We need to examine the rest of the batch before we decide just what we're going to steal." Still, the fire lizard was top on Jessie's list, if only so she could show that Twerp what a true beauty was.

Team Rocket's banter came to an abrupt halt as they entered the dining room of Tristain Academy. "This is a 'dining room'?" Jessie asked, staring in shock at the expansive room.

"More like a feast room," Meowth noted, impressed at the room's grandeur.

Louise smirked, pleased that she had finally gotten her familiars to acknowledge the superior grace of nobility. The Academy of Magic's dining hall was the tallest building in the campus, and each of the three tables looked ready to easily seat at least a hundred people and contained many elaborate decorations. Louise raised her head and began to explain, her hazel eyes twinkling mischievously. "Tristain's Academy of Magic does not just teach magic, you know."

Team Rocket stared at her in surprise. "Almost all mages are nobles," she clarified. The saying 'nobles achieve nobility through the use of magic' is the foundation of our education. Thus, our dining halls must also be made according to a noble's status."

"Makes sense," James said, "But your first statement seems like a contradiction. Even if magic is associated with nobility, you really aren't learning anything about life except about magic."

Fuming at this turnaround, Louise grumbled, "Only a commoner would think that there is more to life than magic. Be grateful that you are even allowed to set foot inside Alviss Hall and attain a glimpse of magic's grandeur."

Though, her familiars' earlier comments had set in a seed of doubt about true magic. If all life was magic, then what did that make nobility? But she was not about to accept that possibility. Never! She had her dignity as a noble to uphold. Even…if it did seem kind of hopeful to her.

"Whatever ya say," Meowth said skeptically, "but what're these Elvises?"

"The little people," she said, gesturing to elaborate sculptures of tiny people engraved onto the walls.

"Those things don't come to life, do they?" Jessie asked hesitantly.

"Oh, you knew that?" Louise said, surprised. "Yes, they come out at night to dance. Enough of this," she huffed, glaring at her familiars' dazzled faces. "Pull out my chair, will you? You're not very competent familiars, are you?" Team Rocket's members shook themselves free of their dreamy thoughts of plunder and rushed forward at once to pull out Louise's chair.

Unfortunately, none took any consideration of the others' efforts, and descended into a three-person riot on the ground. Students began to set down their plates to watch the comic proceedings. Reddening in embarrassment, Louise yanked the chair away from the three saying, "I can seat myself, you know! Have for a whole year now, so I don't need any help from the likes of you!"

"Whatever you say Boss," Meowth groaned from underneath Jessie and James.

Louise plopped into her seat and began to devour the food, drowning her sorrows in hunger. However, a set of subtle coughs behind her forced her attention back to her three aggravating familiars. "What?" she demanded frustrated.

"You promised us food, remember?" James said quietly.

"Yeah," Meowth said, looking like a kicked puppy- or cat- "we were really hoping for something to fill our tummies." Ah, yes, she had promised them food. And indeed she had food for them. She pointed to the floor, where a small bowl lay with strange…things littered inside it.

A tiny bit of guilt pulsed through her heart at bending her vow like this, but she pushed it aside. They were commoners, and familiars to boot! They were lucky to even have those scraps. If they dared to question the food, she'd teach them their proper place. To her shock though, Team Rocket stared eagerly at the 'food', mouths watering. "This is great!" Meowth exclaimed

.

"Better than that old boot we cooked up yesterday for lunch," James agreed.

"Enough chatter," Jessie ordered, eyes gleaming, "let's eat!"

Their reverie was interrupted when a harmonious prayer echoed through the hall. Team Rocket quickly joined the thanksgiving with great zeal, closing with a near-cheer of "We thank you for this humble meal that you have graciously provided us this morning!"

In contrast to them, Louise's own prayer was barely a whisper, as she desperately tried to not look down at her familiars, who stared up at her with gratitude for her 'gift'. This should have made her feel better, seeing them show just how below nobles they really were. But all she felt was this hollow feeling that none of the pastries seemed to fill up.

"That was a great meal!" Meowth exclaimed, as the three accompanied Louise into a classroom.

"Yeah," James whined, "but I still think that Jessie took too much…"

"Stop complaining," Jessie said. "We divided it fairly: one half for the two of you, and the other half for me."

"I still don't think that was fair…"

"Enough," Jessie told him. "Just be grateful that we finally got a good meal after weeks of living off Spearow and Pidgey dung."

"Yeah, and dose Spearow are nasty if they catch ya," Meowth agreed.

"Speaking of grateful," James noted, "the Boss seems a little melancholy ever since breakfast." "You're right," Meowth said, peering ahead at the pink-haired girl, "I wonder why?"

"Maybe she felt guilty about the food," James suggested. "The food on the table certainly looked better."

"She must not get enough food to eat," Jessie concluded, "and therefore couldn't spare much for us. Not that we minded. But it's making her feel guilty. Team, our mission- after stealing her another familiar, that is- will be to grab some more food for the team. Can't let our Boss starve, after all. Grunts can starve, but never bosses."

"Sure thing," Meowth said, "but first things first. Check out all those potential steals!" A large variety of familiars were scattered through the lecture room beside their respective masters. Some looked rather ordinary, such as owls, cats, and snakes. Although Meowth and Jessie loved some of the types- cats for the former and snakes for the latter- they preferred the superiority of their own Pokémon. Therefore, those familiars were fortunate enough to be left off the list of potential steals. Others though were much more exotic.

"So," Jessie casually asked Louise, gesturing towards a six-legged lizard, "what Pokémon is that?"

"A basilisk," she answered, bored with their questions.

"And the eyeball?" James asked.

"A bugbear," she said, frustration seeping in.

"And the freaky Octillery?"

"The what?" Louise asked.

"The thing with all the tentacles," Meowth clarified.

"A skua," she grated out, "and do yourselves a favor and sit down! Class is about to start!" She soon regretted her orders, as the three fumbled to squeeze into Louise's stone seat. "Not there!" she shouted. "That's a mage's seat. Familiars aren't permitted to use it."

"Then why didn't you say so?" James said amiably as his team crouched on the floor. Louise grinded her teeth at their innocent ignorance, and pushed the molars even deeper together as laughter from other students began to creep into her ears. She struggled to focus on the class as the teacher entered the room; the last thing she wanted was to get called out for more humiliation.

Sure enough, when the professor entered pompously, a pump-faced woman dressed in purple garb, her torture began. After greeting the students, her first comment was to Louise, saying "My, my. You've summoned quite some…peculiar familiars, Miss Valliere.

Despite the innocence in the comment, it served as the catalyst for a series of jeers. "Louise the Zero! Don't go grabbing random commoners and their pets off the street!"

"No!" she vainly protested. "I did everything properly! They were all that appeared." The students ignored her and continued their mocking.

Louise was about to protest to the teacher when Team Rocket decided to take matters into their own hands. Nobody insulted the Boss; it was the same as spitting on the entire team! With a firm nod to each other, Team Rocket leaped headlong at the mockers. Stunned at the commoners' audacity, the students were unable to cast spells in time before the attacks landed on them. Within seconds, the entire classroom descended into a brawl.

Jessie swung a hammer like a Scyther, trying to make her way to the redheaded Twerpette. She wasn't one of the actual jeerers, but Jessie resented her earlier comments and therefore considered her a primary target. Seeing their idol in distress, multiple young men rushed to Kirche's defense, while Kirche herself quietly sidled away from the chaos. She was soon joined by her blue-haired friend Tabitha, who calmly turned away from the madness to continue reading a book. Meowth had no weapons at his disposal, but did not need any, as his razor-sharp claws sufficed. Soon, numerous students sported painful slash marks across their faces, and stumbled around blindly as they covered their aching faces. James was the least equipped for a brawl, but was still holding his own by throwing anything he could get his hands on.

Students finally recovered enough from the shock to launch magical attacks, but were unable to aim properly in the fray, adding further confusion to the fight. Meanwhile, familiars scattered to and fro. Some familiars struggled to come to the defense of their masters, such as Flame in the case of Kirche and the dragon Sylphid in the case of Tabitha, some fled in terror like a manticore that broke through a window in wild panic, and still others though took advantage of their masters' attention to pursue other, usually forbidden activities, evidenced by a snake that swallowed a raven.

Huffing at the turn of events, the teacher began to chant a spell. The brawlers ignored the words until they felt lumps of red clay fill their mouths, abruptly stopping the fight. "This is not the behavior of nobles," she spoke. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Chevreuse," the students sullenly stated once the clay was released from their mouths.

"And the same must be expected from those who serve nobles," she continued, turning to the instigators of the debacle. Team Rocket stared back at her with stubborn refusal, but acquiesced and sat back on the ground.

With that, the riot quelled to a halt, allowing class to resume. "Now then," Chevreuse said, waving her wand to create several pebbles, "let's begin the lesson. This year I will be teaching you about the magic of the Earth element. As you know, the four great elements of magic are Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth. Combined with the lost element of Void, there are five elements in total, as everyone should know."

The students nodded knowingly, but Team Rocket stared dumbfounded. "Only four?" Meowth whispered anxiously to Jessie. "How in Ho-Oh's name do they get around with just four? What about all the others?"

"Be quiet and focus!" Jessie snapped back, softly pounding him on the hard floor. "We can ask questions later." Nevertheless, Jessie's own curiosity was gradually piquing, as she leaned forward to hear more of the teacher's words.

"The magic of Earth is vital to life, governing the creation of all matter," Chevreuse lectured. "If it weren't for Earth magic, we wouldn't be able to produce or process essential metals." She then gestured towards the pebbles on her desk and drew out her wand.

"Please recall," she explained, "that the fundamental magic of Earth is transmutation, as I will now demonstrate. While I am confident that most of you have already learned this in your prior studies, basics build foundation, so please pay attention to this review." With a quick spell, the once-grey rocks were now sparkling metallic globs.

"Is that gold?" Kirche asked, peering at the shining stones.

"No," Chevreuse said, coughing pompously to cover up her embarrassment, "Only Square class mages are able to transmute gold. I am merely…a Triangle mage."

She continued to talk, but Team Rocket ignored the rest of the lecture as they gathered in a huddle." "I guess there's at least part of why they have only four elements," James said, "'Earth' seems to cover Ground, Rock, and Steel. They must have broader definitions of elements."

"And classy!" Meowth exclaimed, gazing greedily at the glowing metals. "Just imagine if we could find a way to make gold like dey do. We'd be flowing in the dough! I told you dat 'Mecha Payday' scheme would be a smash, but no, you guys just had to go for that Pinsir…"

Jessie ignored their banter, unable to contain her curiosity any further, and turned to Louise. "Pssst, Boss," Jessie whispered loudly.

"What?" Louise said in frustration. "We're in the middle of a lesson, and we don't need any more of your antics."

"What does that lady mean about all these squares and triangles?" Jessie demanded.

"It's the number of elements you can add to a spell," Louise explained, eyeing the teacher anxiously.

"Huh?" Jessie asked.

"Look, a single magical element is powerful, but if you add another to it, the overall power of the spell increases greatly."

"I already know that!" Jessie told her. "Any fool knows how you can combine two elements together. But what about these squares and triangles?"

Louise stared at her dumbfounded. "Those are Lines," she said, "but mages can merge more than two elements together. Triangle mages can combine three, and Squares four. Mrs. Chevreuse, being able to channel Earth-Earth-Fire, is a Triangle mage."

"Wait," James said, breaking into the conversation. "Wouldn't that just be a Line, since Earth is counted twice?"

"No," she replied, "stacking the same element reinforces that element, enhancing its power."

"Still," Meowth said, "dat lady doesn't deserve dat much credit if she just focuses on one element like that."

Chevreuse then noticed their banter and glowered. "Will you please cease with this private gossip?" she commanded. "There are others trying to actually gain knowledge from this lesson."

"Listen here, lady," Jessie said, "if you want people to listen to you, actually teach them new things rather than boasting about what they- and you- already know."

Chevreuse stiffened in indignation. "You familiars obviously have much to learn about the proper order of things. You can start by addressing me properly as 'Professor Chevreuse', Triangle mage."

However, this failed to subdue the rebellious Rockets; on the contrary, they gaped at her before bursting into raucous laughter. "You…a Professor?" Meowth groaned from overindulgent humor. "Get real!"

"You'd be lucky to be an aide to one!" Jessie declared.

"I don't know," James said halfheartedly, "Some Professors are willing to set aside competence in their assistants as long as they work hard. Still, I'm not sure that applies here…"

"I assure you," Professor Chevreuse said, drawing herself up, "I have earned the title of Professor as right for my considerable power in Earth magic."

"Listen," Meowth said, "where we come from, the title 'Professor' is one of the best titles you can receive."

"It certainly is," James said. "It's practically next to Master in distinction. And it takes far more than a narrow focus on one element to reach that level."

"With just one element," Jessie told her scathingly, "you're little more than a Gym Leader. Probably less, actually; I've seen plenty of Gym Leaders that work with other elements." However much Team Rocket despised the Twerp and his allies, they had to grudgingly concede that the red-haired and squinty-eyed Twerps were very skilled, far beyond their chosen elements of Water and Rock. And while the Rockets might have disdained for the goody-good Professors, they were still greatly respected figures in their world, renowned for their vast and adaptive wisdom. For this woman to have the gall to assume such a title when she clearly lacked those high qualities was simply intolerable.

"Specializing in specific elements or means of power is one way to find strength," James said, "but a narrow power like that is ultimately weak. To be truly strong, you need the combine all your skills, and if you don't have enough skills learn more."

"And that," Meowth told her, "is why you're no Professor."

"I…I…" Struggling yet failing to counter their argument, Chevreuse turned her ire on Louise. "And you, Miss Valliere," she said, trying to save face, "the same applies to you. A mage must be able to properly restrain her familiar. And no talking in class either."

"But, I…" Louise vainly protested.

"Since you have the time to gossip," Chevreuse noted, a glint in her eyes, "would you care to demonstrate your knowledge to the class?"

"What?" Louise exclaimed, face turning pale.

"Yes," Chevreuse said, glad that she could apply at least a degree of her authority, "try changing those pebbles to a metal of your choice." Louise hesitated, looking fidgety, but Chevreuse sternly stared her down until she shakily got to her feet and hobbled over to her. Chevreuse felt a sense of triumph at this; even if she couldn't control those unruly commoners, she could at least show her power in the classroom.

However, she was caught off guard by the wide-eyed looks from the other students, who were now beginning to back up and crouch down in trepidation. "Wonder what has them so riled up?" Meowth pondered. "They're acting like there's an Electrode in the room."

"Professor Chevreuse," Kirche called nervously, raising her hand.

"Yes?" she responded in a frustrated voice, clearly having had enough problems with the class.

"I think it would be best if you didn't let her," Kirche said, the other students nodding in desperate agreement, "It's…dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Chevreuse asked, blinking cluelessly.

Sighing, Kirche observed, "This must be your first time teaching Louise, right?" There always was someone in the Academy who somehow had not heard of the infamous Zero.

Shaking her head ignorantly, Chevreuse said, "It is, but I've heard that she is a hard worker. Now Miss Valliere," she continued, "please begin. You won't learn if you dread making mistakes."

"Don't, Louise!" Kirche yelled in terror.

Louise looked ready to listen to her and return to her desk when her familiars yelled, "You can do it Boss! The lady's right on that point: you can't get worried about messing up. Always keep your eyes forward, and never give up! That's the Team Rocket slogan right there!"

Boosted by their encouragements, she said, "I'll do it," and began to anxiously chant the necessary spell. Team Rocket stared in awe at their Boss as she began to wave her wand.

"Some girl," Meowth said, enamored by her shining face.

"Keep your paws off the Boss!" Jessie told him, squashing him with a fist. "And find someone else to fawn over. Although," she conceded, "she is rather pretty."

"Wonder why she's not very popular then," James mused, observing the students cowered beneath their chairs. Jessie opened her mouth to speak, but stopped in recognition of the students' reaction. They were waiting for something. She quickly turned back to Louise, trying to solve the mystery. Her puzzlement was suddenly resolved, as the entire room was engulfed in a massive explosion.

In contrast to the chaotic pandemonium in the classroom, Team Rocket remained serene through the entire disaster. To them, time seemed to slow down as they marveled at the glory of Louise's explosion. The speed, the grace, the power… Each turned to the others and nodded, now firmly committed to their new mission. They had been reluctant before, but now they felt a new calling. Distant yet familiar emotions raced through their bodies, bringing them back to a day long ago in Viridian, where another explosive attack had changed their lives forever. In the face of such glory, how could they turn back?

In contrast to the chaos below, things were at peace in the Headmaster's Office, perched high up in the central tower. Sir Osmond, current Headmaster of the Academy, sat complacently at his sequoia desk while his green-haired secretary steadfastly continued her notes. While the restless students and professors made life difficult elsewhere, at least the headmaster could set an example for good form. At least, that was the outside appearance. In actuality, the secretary, keeping a side glance on Osmond, knew that, given the headmaster's current expression of boredom, things were going to fall apart in less than a minute.

Sure enough, Osmond drew out a pipe from his desk, preparing to blow out in a sigh. She frowned at this and began to wave her quill. The now enchanted pipe floated away from the expectant master over to the secretary, who maintained a stoic expression even while she internally smirked at Osmond's annoyance. Striding over to her, he gravely declared, "Is it fun taking away a man's pleasure, Miss…er…"

"Longueville," she supplied, "and managing your health is part of my job, sir."

"If the days keep passing by so peacefully," he complained, "figuring out how to spend time is going to be a problem." With the emphatic sigh at the end, one might almost believe him. However, Longueville was not fooled. People usually assumed his age to be about one hundred; a few, more inquisitive ones leaned more towards three hundred. But in reality, nobody knew his true age. Not even Osmond himself, who likely didn't remember that anymore. A man like Osmond was well accustomed to elderly age, and had been able to stave off melancholy for decades, perhaps centuries. No, while Osmond was certainly restless, his supposed woe at boredom was merely a veil for his next game, evident in his glances at her skirt blowing in the wind.

"Headmaster," she said, drawing her head up just as he was lowering his hand towards her, "please stop saying you have nothing to do as an excuse to touch my bottom."

Osmond began to stumble randomly, but she had only disdain for his poor acting skills. Pouting in defeat, he kept a subtle glance for his ace in the hole below Longueville while pretending to ponder. "Where do you think the ultimate truth is? Have you ever wondered that?"

_I have, _she reminisced in melancholy, but outwardly glared at him and said, "I have not, but wherever it is, I assure you, it is not under my skirt, so please cease sending you mouse to peep for you."

"Come on out, Motsognir," he commanded despondently, watching as a small, white mouse scurried away from Longueville's desk. It dashed up Osmond to his shoulder and plopped down comfortably. Smiling nostalgically, Osmond offered a nut to it. "You're my only trustworthy friend, Motsognir," Osmond told it, seemingly lost in memories- oblivious enough to miss the subtle smirk from Longueville at his declaration, knowing the truth of the matter. The mouse looked up expectantly for another morsel, but Osmond held out his hand to shush it. "You want more. Very well, I shall give some to you. But first," he instructed his familiar with a serious tone, "I would ask that you give your report."

Feigning disinterest at the animated yet indecipherable conversation between the two, Longueville tensed in preparation. The ensuing chain of events might have seemed chaotic to an outsider- even to the participants, for it was unrehearsed- but the episode was very familiar to Longueville, and she knew the stance she had to take. Her cue came when Osmond told Motsognir, with a teasing smirk towards her, "Miss Longueville should stick to black. Plain black and white, even when hidden, simply lack the delicacy of femininity."

Twitching accordingly, she smoothly stated, "Old Osmond, the next time you do that, I'm reporting it to the palace." It was an empty threat, as the old master still had strong bloc within the court politics; plus, she couldn't risk sending a petition without compromising her mission at the academy.

However, Osmond reacted with an enraged flash in his eyes, quite unexpected for a frail-looking man, and began to tirade his secretary for her cheek. "Don't get so prissy just because I peeked at your underwear!" he ranted, all while carefully leaning into her to caress her bottom. "At this rate you'll never get married! Ah, to be young again…" Longueville had to admit, Osmond's rants about youth and life always touched her, making her almost hesitant to shift to the next stage of the drama.

Fortunately, the master's crass and perverted nature always managed to extinguish her sympathies. Letting loose a kick directly at his groin, she smirked as the spry old man was knocked back before leaping into the ensuing fray. As the two played chase through the small chamber, Osmond, having received the majority of the blows, vainly pleaded for mercy. "Ack! How can you! Treat an elder! In this way! OW!"

Longueville ignored his pleas, partially because of her justifiable anger, but also because she knew that the master would be greatly disappointed if his excitement for the day came to an end too soon. She had taken careful notes prior to acquiring her position as his secretary, and had kept meticulous track of the many secretaries that came and went. One thing had become clear to her- the girls fired the quickest were actually the mellowest of the batch, regardless of their…exterior appeal. It was a surprise to her at first. Old Osmond certainly had distinct tastes. It was in part with her display at a bar he frequently visited that she was able to secure her contract, after all.

But Osmond had a deeper motivation. He was a very old and mysterious man, a person known to all yet known by few. Most of his life had passed him by already, even if much of it was still to come given his apparent immortality. While he had grown somewhat used to the inevitable melancholy of aging, he still sought to relive his youth. And this meant excitement. She doubted that Osmond had little idea of what to do if he somehow managed to coerce a lady to his room- not that he had succeeded, given his appearance. His true joy lay with the chase, even if this meant that he was at the losing end of said chase. Longueville had to admit that she herself found a thrill rush through her with the chaotic life of the headmaster.

It almost made her consider staying there indefinitely. She had certainly done well so far; she had already kept her position for three months, the longest time ever according to her research. But she shook her head of that whimsy. For one, it would not be long before reports began to trickle in from the surrounding area. Although her position would give her an effective cover during an investigation, someone would eventually find out, and she could not risk compromising her carefully-constructed identity. Second, her mission would eventually clash directly with the school, throwing her straight into the fire.

Also… She slumped in despair for a second, causing Osmond to pause in his cowering, only to return to her assault with increased vigor to hide her dropped guard. Although she had a degree of empathy for Osmond's nostalgia for the past, his rosy vision disgusted her. For all his wisdom, Old Osmond was the same as the rest of the nobles, ignorantly hoping for adventure without knowing its price. Once she was the same, believing she could change the world, or be the maiden to a knight that could. But she knew that price now, very hard, and kept the lesson dear to her heart. She still clung desperately to her idealism, but found it rapidly jaded by her story of treachery and sorrow.

Therefore, Longueville was slightly relieved when a staff member unexpectedly burst in, drawing their scuffle to a halt. She looked up to see a near-bald man in faculty garb, evidently a professor. Noticing the distinct spectacles dangling on his nose, she recognized him. Professor Colbert. Infamous in the academy for his eccentric interests, he was mostly dismissed by his peers. However, Longueville looked on intrigued. Although she did not give the appearance, she had a great interest in knowledge, even if she preferred exploiting them to her advantage.

And Colbert was the foremost historical expert in the school, and perhaps all of Tristain. This, combined with his innovative approaches to the world, a method that she wholeheartedly approved of, made him an unparalleled researcher, whose discoveries always had some import. She was especially certain of this, as the professor had been given temporary leave in exchange for leading the familiar ritual yesterday. For him to come to the headmaster definitely meant that he had uncovered something massive.

Quietly sliding back to her desk, Longueville returned to her writing. She quietly slipped a sheet of blank paper in with the rest for notes of her own; it paid at times to complete memos ahead of schedule, as it gave her an effective cover. "What is it?" Osmond asked in annoyance.

"I…I…I have big news!" he exclaimed.

"There is no such thing as big news," Osmond reminded him dismissively. "Everything is but a collection of small events." Behind her desk, Longueville nodded at that proverb. The headmaster could actually show great wisdom, when he wasn't bored. She'd learned ever since the tragedy to take note of every minute detail around her, as the importance might not be clear until later. Perhaps if someone had noticed the hints of trouble, the tragedy might not have happened, and things would have gone on the way they had. Well, no use pondering over the lost.

"P-P-Please," Colbert insisted, thrusting a book at Osmond, "take a look at this."

"This is 'The Familiars of Founder Brimir,'" the headmaster noted dryly, clearly displeased at the interruption. "Are you still going around digging up old literature like this? If you have time to do that, why don't you think up some better ways to collect fees from lazy nobles? Mister…" Osmond was actually very good with names, but had a habit of 'forgetting' them, especially when he was feeling stubborn.

"It's Colbert," he said hastily, unwilling to drop the matter. "Please take a look at this also." With that, he handed a small sketch to Osmond. Longueville remained at her desk, but shifted her gaze out to the window and the noon's beams on Halkeginia. It would seem that she was simply admiring the view, which was exactly what she intended to convey. But her eyes were focused on just one small, dented piece of glass. She had taken note of the miniscule fragment for one special property it had: due to its alignment with a slightly reflective decoration on the ceiling, a hawk-eyed observer could make out an overhead view of the headmaster's desk. Right now, she was trying to make out just what Osmond was looking at. The sketch appeared to show the markings of some sort of runic name, though she couldn't make out the name. Suddenly, her eyes jerked at the open book in revelation, having seen an identical match on the page.

Her discovery was just in the nick of time, as Osmond closed the book a second later, his face turning serious. "Miss Longueville," he addressed her, "could you please leave us?" She nodded and stepped out the door, giving every indication of a walking stride. Once out the door though, she covertly slipped to the side and set an ear on the wall. Although the conversation was muffled, her Earth talent allowed some snippets to reach her. Something about the runes being found on the hands of some familiars. Hands? This was a surprise. She had at first thought they were talking about a familiar, but they seemed to be referring to a human. A human familiar? While discussing the Founder? This could not be a coincidence.

Longueville leaned in closer, desperate to learn just a tad more, and made out a name that made her stiffen in shock and awe: 'Gandalfr'. The Left Hand of God. Eyes sparkling with inner fire, she discretely yet determinedly strode off in a hurry, seeking to learn more about this unexpected turn of events. She had resigned herself to her mission, but if this rumor was correct, she might have a chance to fulfill her own dream. Other may try to break her, but she had triumphed, and always would, as long as she kept a nostalgic image in the back of her mind, that of a family laughing and watching the land clouds and sky below. That scene was no more, buried behind treachery. But another memory drifted to her of a small cottage in the woods, where a blonde woman with pointed ears tended to children. Not all was lost, not as long as she could still fight. No matter what happened, she would fight for her family. And those who would break it for their selfish means would regret that they ever left her alive, this she vowed!

"That should do it," James spoke with a note of satisfaction as he placed the final brick into the wall.

"Yep!" Meowth agreed. "We just need to do a little sweeping and we'll be all done!"

"Finally," Jessie groaned, heavily exhausted from the work. "I can't believe that 'professor' made us fix the whole room. I mean, most of the damage was caused in the riot, and that can't all be blamed on us."

"We did start the fight though," James pointed out, "and irked the teacher, leading to the second incident."

"That's her own fault for being a poor teacher," Jessie insisted stubbornly. "Our own hands are entirely- well, almost, at least- clean of this affair, and she had no right to make us pick up her own mess!"

"Chill out, Jess," Meowth said. "It's not like this work is new to us. So let's just work with what we can."

"Are you suggesting giving up?" Jessie demanded.

"Of course not," Meowth said, a glint in his eyes. "If you have ta do something you don't want to, ya suck it up, and den later get some payback!"

"Fine!" Jessie said, returning to her work. "But that 'professor' better not try any Mankey business next time we have class together!" Still, she seemed to apply the same level of enthusiasm to the job as her partners.

Louise watched her familiars' antics from her seat at the stairs, a mix of bemusement and sadness on her face. She struggled to focus on their nonsense so that she did not have to drift back to memories of her most recent humiliation. And, of course, the teacher reprimanded Louise for the disaster she caused- as if she had a choice in the matter! James' point that the majority of the damage was from the earlier riot did nothing to soothe Mrs. Chevreuse's frayed nerves, and she had ordered the four of them to repair the room by hand, with magic forbidden. Not that Louise would use any magic; she didn't want to risk any further catastrophes.

At least the work was not taking as long as she had anticipated. Her familiars had finally proved their worth by offering to do the work while she- the 'Boss'- rested. She was going to have them do the brunt of the work anyways- while she handled the more delicate tasks that might be somewhat befitting of a noble- but they eagerly took up the entire job, insisting that they were experts at cleaning. And they certainly were, judging by the speed at which they had cleaned the room. She had expected to not be finished until lunch, if not after, but they were almost done now with hours before lunch.

She'd like to see the look of her peers when she was waiting for them in the dining hall, spoiling their hopes that she would be preoccupied for hours. However, her joy at this was dampened by the returning feelings of worthlessness that she received whenever she tried to perform magic. Maybe she should have done more of that work after all, a voice whispered in her head; after all, she would be doing plenty of that in a few years.

"Boss?" Louise returned to reality to see her three familiars staring at her in concern, their faces just inches away from hers.

"Whah!" she cried, falling backwards before being caught by the stairs. "Now what?" she asked in a tone of aggravation; however, she was secretly relieved that she had a diversion from her melancholy.

Unfortunately, their following words drove back her tempest of emotions: "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale." She lowered her head into her hands, desperately trying to stave the coming tears.

To her surprise, the three wiped away her face, trying to comfort her. "It's okay," James said. "It's not like you did anything wrong."

"Dat's right!" Meowth added. "It's not your fault that so-called 'Professor' has no tolerance for collateral damage."

"In any case," Jessie assured her, "we're prouder than ever to serve you. You were so great today!"

Heart flaring at those words, Louise angrily shoved them off her. "Don't feign sympathy!" she spat out. "You know as well as I do that I completely botched that spell, so don't pretend that I succeeded at something!"

Her anger dissipated slightly though as she took in her familiars' faces, which were filled with sincere shock. "What're ya talking bout?" Meowth asked. "That explosion was fantastic! Did you see the power of that thing?"

"Maybe she didn't realize its potency," James suggested. "After all, our fight before had already caused a lot of damage, so maybe she didn't notice…"

"I am well aware of my explosions' power," Louise grated out, "and they are my utter bane. Why do you think everyone calls me 'Zero'? Every spell I try inevitably ends up like this: an utter disaster."

"Hey," Jessie told her, "so what if you don't do what everyone expects?"

"Huh?" Louise mumbled dumbfounded.

"If you focus on one narrow goal," Jessie said, "you miss your other skills, even when they are just as good as your other goal."

"And your explosions are definitely a useful talent," James noted, "albeit poorly suited for this environment. But that is the administration's fault- like that teacher- and not your own. As long as you have skills to take with you into the real world, you're doing great."

"But, there's nothing good about my explosions," Louise protested.

"Nonsense!" Jessie said with confidence. "Your explosions were just beautiful."

"Dey sure were," Meowth said, eyes shining in idolization. "With that power, you might be even as strong as Pikachu!"

"No, stronger," James argued. "Pikachus know their attacks from the day they can walk. She doesn't know her power yet, but think about how much stronger she'll be when she harnesses it."

"For sure!" Meowth nodded.

"Are you positive my explosions are an asset?" Louise asked skeptically. "It seems to me that they're only good for destroying things. Classrooms, trees, keepsakes…"

"You're missing the point entirely," Jessie said. "You said the clincher: destroy. You could destroy fortresses, armies, even mountains maybe. There's always someone who objects to destruction, but we've found that a good dose of destruction can always find a good use."

"Perhaps you have a point," Louise admitted hopefully, "but what is this Pikachu?"

"Only the most powerful Pokémon in the world," Meowth boasted, believing every word.

Louise's eyes glimmered at this notion. Pokémon seemed to be magical beasts, so what would this Pikachu be like? A dragon? A manticore? "Show me what it looks like," she commanded, unable to stop a tinge of enthusiasm from seeping into her authoritive voice.

"Let's see," James mumbled, shuffling through a set of cards before stopping at one. "Ah! Here you are," he said, handing the picture to Louise. Louise took the card and began to examine the picture, her brows furrowing.

"Just terrifying isn't it?" Meowth commented, the team oblivious to their master's boiling irritation. "I tremble just looking at that thing. So strong and fearsome…"

Their dreamy idolization was cut short as Louise suddenly burst out with rage, "Is this a joke?"

"Huh?" Team Rocket blinked. "What joke?"

Huffing in fury, Louise thrust the card in their face, revealing a small yellow rat resting innocently in a bed of flowers. "This is what you are comparing my power to?" she demanded, eyes tearing up amidst her fire. "A tiny mouse? That's all the power I have?"

"Now hold on Boss," James said desperately, holding up his arms placating. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

"I'll show you my power!" Louise screamed as she let loose yet another explosion in the classroom, turning the ruins into…dust, and lots of rubble.

Louise left the now twice ruined classroom in a huff, her stupid familiars still lying conked out on the floor. The nerve of them! Getting up her hopes, only to compare her to some pathetic rat! Though, she had to admit, she had never considered the practical application of her botched spells. Her explosions were certainly destructive and terrifying, given her infamy in the school. Was it possible that those explosions themselves were a source of power themselves?

Louise shook her head. That still did not help her; she would remain a Zero that could not use normal magic like everyone else. Still, maybe she could use her explosions for something more. She supposed that she had to thank her otherwise-useless familiars for that inspiration; perhaps she would reward them with an extra piece of bread tomorrow.

"Ow!" Team Rocket moaned simultaneously as they pulled themselves up slowly.

"I still can't believe she hit us over such a trivial issue," Jessie muttered.

"You would have thought that she would take it as a compliment," James sighed. "Pikachu is the strongest of all Pokémon; why does nobody seem to know that?"

"Because the protagonists need ta be inconspicuous if da producers want to keep the show moving forward," Meowth said. After the two looked at him in befuddlement, he sighed and said "Never mind."

"Alright," Jessie said, collecting her wits, "It's obvious that our Boss needs something to cheer her up. And we're going to do that by bagging her a new familiar.

"Meowth," she instructed him, "you come with me to catch that Charmaleon.

"James," she continued, "you find some other creature to snag. Maybe that Octillery."

"But Jessie," James protested, "where am I going to find it?"

"That's your problem," Jessie said dismissively, turning to leave. "Come on Meowth, we have a familiar to steal for Team Rocket!"

"Not Team Rocket!" Meowth said.

"What?" James and Jessie asked in confusion.

"This is a new start for us, ain't it?" Meowth noted. "And 'Zero' has a nice ring to it."

"We do usually end up being the zeroes," James sadly agreed.

"Then it's settled," Jessie said firmly, "Let's give it all for Team Zero!"


	3. Episode II: Rise of Team Zero

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode II: Rise of Team Zero

"Wow," Meowth exclaimed as they entered through the jimmied door, "that Kirche girl really is a glamor queen!" The room was luxurious, filled with many exotic decorations and clothing, most of which had…evocative meanings.

"Big deal," Jessie said huffily, eyeing the decorations with disdain. "If there is anyone worthy of being considered a fashion diva in this mad world, it's Jessie the Gorgeous!"

"You sure we're talking about the same Jessie?" Meowth asked skeptically. Seeing Jessie's eyes flare in response, he quickly backpedaled, saying, "I mean, that Kirche has nothing on you, no sir!"

"That's exactly right!" Jessie cooed in agreement, gently stroking her magenta mane. "There is nothing more beautiful than my shiny, deluxe, one-of-a-kind hai…aiii!" Jessie let out a wild scream as her hair turned even brighter red with the fire now bursting from it. After putting the fire out of her now-ashy hair, Jessie glared at the culprit, the growling red lizard on the floor, which was staring at them hostilely.

Meowth moved to strike, only to be stopped by Jessie. "Leave this to me," Jessie ordered, driving Flame to panic with the overwhelming magma in her eyes. "You ruined my hair!" she condemned the salamander. "Prepare to DIIEEE!"

Meowth watched in morbid fascination as Jessie attacked the Charmaleon-wannabe with vengeance that a Primeape would approve of. Next to pure power, vanity was the greatest virtue on Jessie's list, and vandalism of her beauty was down with her most unforgiveable sins. And her hair was the crown of her pride, and therefore the source of her hate.

Watching Jessie tear through the reptile's defenses, the singeing burns barely slowing her assault, Meowth contemplated the utility of the Jessie Pokémon. Mess with Jessie, and you were finished for sure. Could they use this to catch Pikachu? Meowth considered the idea for one moment before violently shaking his head. No, Jessie's temper was bad enough when it erupted on its own; best not to trigger it oneself.

Finishing her opponent off with a Pound attack, Jessie dusted herself off and turned back to Meowth. "Well," she said, "Now that that's out of the way, let's catch that familiar and get it over with."

"Uh, Jess?" Meowth said quietly.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"You already did? Remember?" he asked, gesturing to the now-comatose Flame.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Jessie exclaimed in innocent excitement. "I completely forgot!" Meowth just sighed in exhaustion; at least this time Jessie's anger didn't come down on him. "Alright," Jessie said, "Get out the paper Meowth, we're going to gift wrap it up for the Boss!" Meowth tensed in anxiety at this declaration, twitching twice as hard as Jessie added, "And don't dawdle with the fire-proof gear. That's why I had you come with me in the first place." Eyeing the pummeled lizard, Meowth shivered in foreboding. Guess he spoke too soon.

Tabitha was heading up to Kirche's room, ready to return the book Kirche loaned her. Despite the blatant sexual themes, she appreciated the gift. It was partially because the book still contained intriguing insights into the Germania-Tristain Wars, but also the bond the gift symbolized between them. She had arrived at Tristain Academy alone, unable to explain her past lest she reveal her identity and mission. The attitudes of her peers did not help, as they were too selfishly naïve in their rights as nobles. She was like that once, but since her mother's demise things had changed in Gallia. She was at best a weapon for the new royal line, and at worst a toy to taunt. The students here didn't know any better, she knew. Even so, sometimes it was tough to cope with the others' blatant ignorance.

Hence why she kept to herself, and why she had so few friends. In fact, the only friend she could say she had- other than her new familiar- was Kirche. Surprisingly, the flame-haired girl had a deep understanding of emotions under her apparently cliché attitude. Enough comprehension at least that she knew to give Tabitha space when she needed it, and comfort in its own time. Perhaps she'd stop by Kirche's room while she was nearby. She doubted that Kirche would be there; she'd shown faint interest in the supposed 'Zero's' familiars- well, one at least- and had other courtships to balance out as well. Still, there was a chance that she was there, and if not, Flame would at least be there.

As Tabitha passed by Kirche's room, book in hand, she stopped at the voices booming from inside. She initially dismissed the voices as another one of Kirche's 'meetings', but froze at the unfamiliar female voice. Pulling the door open slowly, she slipped in with the stealth of an assassin.

There in the middle of the room, Jessie and Meowth argued over the still-unconscious Flame. "Meowth!" Jessie demanded. "Why is the paper burning?"

"Well," Meowth explained, "we haven't had the time to construct any fire-proof equipment…"

Jessie's fist put an end to his attempted defense. "How are we supposed to deliver this present for the Boss if the stupid Charmander keeps burning the wrapping paper?"

"Don't worry Jess," he assured her. "We'll have some more fire-resistant gear, just give us a couple of days."

"You mean that we broke in here for nothing! We are going to get the Boss a new familiar, and no barbarian Charmaleon is going to stop us."

"We could always try for a different one…" Meowth advised.

"Are you kidding?" Jessie asked incredulously. "This is the best familiar of them all. Okay, I admit that dragon is neat, but we're not going to catch that until we pilfer…er, acquire enough funds for a new mech. Before then, better not to mess with a dragon. It's a good way to end up hurt."

"Ironic," a voice coldly spoke from behind them. Jessie slowly turned around to see a blue-haired girl, who she recognized as the said dragon's master, and who had a long staff thrust out in preparation.

James sighed forlornly as he passed through yet another hall without that Octillery-like Sku. "Is something the matter?" James' head shot up to view a black-haired girl in a maid's outfit. Her eyes stared at him in concern, oblivious to the tipping tray of pastries in her left hand.

"It's nothing," James said, moving forward swiftly, "but, here." Gently catching the tray, he continued, "Your stance is relatively good, but your arms are in the wrong position. If you adjust them like this," he said, moving her arms, "You can carry a heavier load with much better balance."

"Th…thank you," she replied in shock.

"Oh, no trouble at all," James said. "Always willing to help a fellow worker."

"Are you one of the servants here too?" she asked with a frown, unable to recognize him. "You don't seem familiar…Wait!" she exclaimed, glancing at James' runes on his left hand, "Are you by any chance the one who become Miss Valliere's familiar?"

"Well, one of three," James answered. "You've heard of us?"

"A little," she said. "It's become quite a rumor, you know, that some commoners were summoned." James swelled in pride at hearing this; in no time flat, Team Rocket would be just as infamous in this world as they were in their old one! The girl's smile also lightened his heart. Her face was so sweet and carefree.

"I'm James," he said, introducing himself, "And you are?"

"Siesta," she answered. "I would have thought that you would have a strange name, given the wild rumors going around, but it looks like I'm the one with the strange name." "It's not a strange name," James told her, "And it's actually kind of nice. 'Siesta' refers to finding serenity in dreams, right?"

"Yes, it does!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Are you from Tarbes, perhaps?" Her guess was wrong though, as James shook his head. This was odd, as the name 'Siesta' only originated from her grandfather and his mysterious land. In fact, she noticed that the rumors of their appearance paralleled the tales of her grandmother. Could they be…from the same land? For now though, Siesta chose to keep her silence on that matter, and simply said, "Never mind."

"Are you a mage too?" he asked her.

"No," Siesta said, "I'm a commoner, just like you. I serve the nobility here by doing domestic duties."

"You don't say," James noted, eyes glimmering. "And the pay is decent?"

"Well," Siesta said hesitantly, "it's…relatively good. One of the highest paying jobs for commoners. Of course, given that commoners are considered below mages, the pay is still low."

"Still," James insisted, "money is money, and work is work. Are there many opening for workers here?"

"Nobles are always willing to hire more commoners to wait on them," Siesta replied. "Are you thinking of working here?" she asked in surprise. "You already have your master to take care of."

"Team Rocket always serves its Boss," James said, "but we've learned that one needs to pursue multiple lines of work to really succeed in life. So," he continued, "when can I start?"

"Well," she said, a little caught off guard, "it would need to get approved by the Board first, but they'll pay according to the day that you actually start."

"In that case," he said firmly, taking some of Siesta's load into his arms, "might as well start now."

"O…okay," she said, gesturing to him to follow her.

"What a fiasco!" Jessie nodded in mute agreement with Meowth as the two hobbled down the hallways, struggling to catch her breath after their ordeal.

"At least…she gave up the chase," she mumbled near-incoherently, relieved that the blue-haired terror had finally relented in her punishment.

"Man," Meowth complained, "my tail's still frostbit from that ice she threw at us."

"At least you only got frozen," Jessie retorted. "I got both fire and ice."

"Hey," Meowth said angrily, "fire and ice mix together good! With the second element, at least it gives you a fleeting sense of relief when is quells the previous magic. Unlike Water and Electric, where the two go hand in hand. You're just upset that that Charmaleon singed your hair!"

"And what if I am?" Jessie shouted back. "I am a diva, you know! I have to protect my glamorous image…" Their conversation ground to a halt as they caught sight of a familiar face crossing the corner into the corridor far ahead of them.

Dozens of cakes and other desserts were neatly arranged on a large, silver tray. "Thank you for helping me with this," Siesta told James. While she served nobles the pastries using tongs, James kept a careful hold on the tray. "You do know that the Board will likely not give any extra pay for this. Nobles prefer to keep their wealth to themselves."

"It's alright," James said enthusiastically, "I enjoy the work. Already I feel so energetic and fearless!"

Such bold declarations quickly faded though, as James stopped dead in his track. Before him stood Meowth, but more importantly also Jessie. "James!" she exclaimed angrily. "Just what are you doing? Here we are risking life and limb, and you abandon your task to slack off?"

However, her tirade was cut short when she noticed the gleaming food that he was holding. She moved to grab the tempting morsels, but was stopped when a tong lightly tapped against her hand in warning. "I apologize," a mild voice spoke, "But these foods are reserved solely for nobles."

Jessie looked up at the black haired girl beside James. "And who are you?" she demanded.

"She's Siesta," James said in placation, "And she has a job for us."

"She does?" All hard feelings forgotten, Jessie looked at Siesta with a wide grin, joined by Meowth.

"Um," Siesta answered nervously, "Technically, I cannot hire you. I am just a servant…"

"But she works here at the school," James explained, "And with some work we can get hired too."

"So," Meowth said, "Mostly domestic work, is it? Waiting, cleaning, the whole lot? Perfect! We Rockets have made a specialty out of that work."

"And we can always use extra benefits," Jessie commented, staring longingly at the desserts. "Is there any chance I can have just one?" she begged.

"No," Siesta shook her head, "even we who serve this food must leave it to the nobility to consume. However," she reassured them, "there is some food in the kitchen to spare."

"Then let's go!" Meowth said eagerly.

"I must say, James," Jessie commented between gulps of food, "you've certainly done a good job finding us this gig!"

"You said it!" Meowth agreed, sipping at the lovely stew. "Good food, decent work, what more can we ask for? Besides Pikachu, that is."

"So," James asked hopefully, "does that mean I'm…redeemed?" With a little luck, Jessie would forget about their failure with the familiar-catching scheme and move on to something safer like custodial duties.

Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed, as Jessie said, "Almost."

"Almost?" he repeated nervously, wondering what more Jessie wanted.

"I want…that!" she demanded, pointing at a bulge in James' shoe.

"Er, what are you talking about?" he asked, playing dumb.

"You can't fool me, James!" Jessie said, yanking the boot off him. "A crook can always tell another crook. Aha!" she exclaimed, pulling out a vial. "Ohoho!" Jessie crowed. "Trying to keep the loot to yourself, eh? Well, you would never be able to truly enjoy something like this. Perfume of such elegance needs the beauty of a women's touch.

"I bet you were planning to give it to that maid," she added, noting the glance between the two, "but don't forget: Rockets share and share alike," leaving the unsaid assertion that said principle translated to 'give everything to Jessie'. "Don't worry," she added on seeing their worried faces, "We'll be working together a lot once we get the job, so we can pay you back later."

Siesta sweated lightly, reflecting on how James and she had found the vial. A blonde noble- Mister Guiche la Gramont, a rather vain and boisterous student- had dropped the bottle while passing by with his peers. Siesta had been ready to pick up the item and return it to its owner before James stopped her.

"_James, we must assist the noble. It is part of our duty as servants here. It's nice perfume, but if we are caught stealing…"_

"_Don't worry about being reported; he won't give a second glance to that vial. And we are not keeping it. We are hiding it temporarily with us until we find a safe place to bury it forever."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_His stance. It was causal yet calculating. He must have planned his approach out in advance. Probably didn't anticipate anyone finding it until later."_

"_Do you mean that he meant to drop it? But why? It looks like such a nice cosmetic, even by noble standards."_

"_I know, and that makes me think that he had an ulterior motive. This means that this bottle is dangerous to whoever is found with it."_

"_Do you think he stole it? Mister Gramont is certainly arrogant, but he values his honor greatly."_

"_It's likely something else. Something that he does not want unearthed. And if there's another party involved…our mere association with the item could implicate us."_

"_Then let's just leave it."_

"_No, someone else might find it then and take the rap. Here, I'll just hide it with me, and then we can dispose of it properly later. For now, let's get back to work."_

"Jessie," James said hesitantly, "there's something important about that vial that I think…"

"Later," Jessie told him, sprinkling the perfume all over her. "Right now, it's time to show the school what a true model of beauty is like!" With that, she dashed out of the kitchen.

"Jessie sure takes pride in her appearance," Meowth sighed. He froze at seeing the looks on James and Siesta's faces. 'What's the big deal?" he asked. "I know Jessie can be a little greedy, but it's not like we can't steal something better later…"

"It wasn't stolen."

"Huh?" Meowth gaped at James.

"Someone abandoned it," he explained.

"Then there's nothing to worry about, right?" Meowth said worriedly. "Unless you think the bloke had a good reason to dump the thing." James remained silent. "You do," Meowth confirmed, letting out a groan. "Come one," he told them, "Let's catch Jess before she gets herself in trouble- and us too!"

Sure enough, Jessie was in a furious argument with an arrogant girl. She would look very pretty, with her blonde hair tightly rolled up, if not for the disdain and anger on her face. "How dare you!" she yelled at Jessie. "The very nerve- commoners trying to steal my precious perfume."

"Hey!" Jessie shouted back. "We stole it fair and square! And how can you prove it's yours anyways?"

"The potion speaks for itself," she replied, gesturing at the mauve liquid. "The vivid purple is my signature as a Montmorency. There are many in this school who have witnessed my skills with potions, and can testify to my distinct color. So you can see," she spoke with a glint of triumph, "The perfume is clearly mine."

Jessie froze at this, struggling to find a counter-defense, and suddenly shot up with inspiration. "Your name is Montmorency?" Jessie inquired.

"Indeed," she said, drawing herself up with pride. "My full name is Montmorency Margarita la Fairy de Montmorency."

"In that case," Jessie crowed, letting loose her own triumphant grin, "this doesn't match the name on the bottle."

"What?" Montmorency stared at the bottle. "Where?"

"Right there," Jessie said, pointing to a small ribbon snagged on the potion. "It says, 'To my dearest Katie, love your ardent knight, Sir…"

"Guiche," Montmorency read, paling in horror. "It…can't be," she mumbled in shock, "He wouldn't…" Nearby footsteps caused her to snap up, spying Guiche with fellow students. "Guiche!" she shrieked, halting him with her fury.

"My…sweet rose," he greeted her, sweating in fear, "Is something the matter?"

"Explain this!" Montmorency demanded revealing the vial and the ribbon.

Paling in realization at the ribbon, he desperately said, "This is…a misunderstanding. All I did was accompany her on a long trip to the woods of La Rochelle." While he tried to remain composed, a drop of cold sweat ran down his neck.

"Liar!" she shouted. "You've been making moves on that first-year, haven't you?"

"Please," he begged, "I assure you, I have no affections for that girl…"

"You don't?" Guiche froze in despair as another female, this one with chestnut-brown hair, approached him with a look of betrayal. "I knew it," she sobbed, unable to restrain her broken heart, "You and Miss Montmorency are…"

Turning to her, Guiche said, "This is all a big misunderstanding. Katie, listen: the only person I hold in my heart is you."

However, this flowery defense only resulted in a slap to his face. "Goodbye!" Katie huffed before running away in tears.

Guiche rubbed his red cheeks before a cough behind him slowly drew him back to the even-madder Montmorency. "My dear, sweet Montmorency…"

"Save it," Montmorency said. She reached for a bottle of wine, but was stopped by Jessie.

"Here," she said, handing Montmorency a different bottle, "I shook this one up. Just thrust it forward, and the stuff should shoot straight out. And aim for a little above the nose line; that should give you the best results."

Montmorency stared at Jessie in surprise. "We women have to stick together against love's pain," she explained. "Never underestimate the power you have as a scorned woman! Go for it, Mountmorency!"

"That's Montmorency, commoner," she retorted. However, softening her voice she continued, "Still…thank you. And you may keep that perfume as a gift. I trust it will be in better hands with you than with a two-timing worm!" With those words, she swung the bottle at Guiche. Sure enough, the cork sprung loose, dousing Guiche's head with wine.

"Well," Meowth finally said, "dat's dat! Now let's get out of here before we get into more trouble."

Team Rocket prepared to leave, but Guiche called, "Stop right there."

"Now what?" Meowth groaned. "Haven't you caused enough trouble today?"

"Me?" he huffed indignantly. "Thanks to you servants thoughtlessly picking up that perfume, the reputation of two ladies have been damaged. How will you take responsibility?"

"Hey!" James protested. "We were going to bury the bottle somewhere safe before Jessie grabbed it."

"In any case," Jessie spoke firmly, "I wouldn't worry about their reputations being tarnished. If anything, we've helped them by showing them the true you. You'd do better watching your own reputation; that wine doesn't really blend well with your clothes."

"And we're not servants- at least not yet," Meowth said, "We're familiars."

Guiche snorted, examining them, "You must be the commoners summoned by Louise the 'Zero'. To have expected a noble's wits from a commoner was utterly my mistake. You may leave."

"You don't have to tell us that," Jessie snapped. "We were already on our way out when you stopped us. And judging from your oh-so elegant performance just now," she added snidely, "we'll take the commoner sense over the noble wits- or should I say witlessness- any day."

Guiche's eyes narrowed at the insult. "It would seem that you don't know the proper etiquette for addressing a noble."

"We do know how to address nobles," James said, giving an elegant bow to Siesta for demonstration, "but we simply disregard it. Anyways, by our home's standards, you'd be lucky to be considered a noble's bodyguard, let alone a noble."

"Very well," Guiche said drawing himself up, "then I shall teach you a lesson about respect. A perfect way to relieve some stress."

"Is that a challenge?" Meowth asked, drawing his claws.

"Sounds fine by me," James said. "I think that a battle would be perfect for the nerves."

"Wait, James," Jessie said, "let's not be so hasty." Guiche smirked in triumph at this statement. However, Jessie continued, "You saw how he behaved during class today, fighting like a deranged hooligan. It just wouldn't do to mess up this nice dining room with a brawl, would it?"

"You were the ones who instigated that madness, not I!" he protested.

"Maybe so," Meowth said, "but you sure fought like a tail-pulled Tauros once things got going; ya attacked anything that moved and plenty that didn't."

Guiche growled in fury but then straightened himself up. "We can certainly have a civilized duel," he said, "Assuming you commoners are up to it."

"Maybe," Meowth said, "Still, what's in it for us? You want us to show you respect, but we need something as a counter. So how about this," he suggested, eyes gleaming in remembrance of the familiar sighted with him during class. "If we win, we get your little familiar Sandshrew as a prize."

"My precious Verdandi is not a shrew," he retorted, "and I shall never let you fiends lay a hand on her. If you are so eager to expend your lives, I will be waiting for you at Verdandi Court."

"Correction," Jessie said, "we'll be waiting for you. Unless you think that wine is good luck."

Guiche took note of his doused state, glared at them, and walked off, saying, "I will be at the court in an hour sharp. Should you reconsider your foolish actions, I will understand."

Watching the playboy depart, Meowth said, "Looks like we're going to have our first real battle here."

"Good thing too," Jessie said, "I was wondering if this place had any civilized practices."

"Well," James said, "it might take him a while to clean off those stains. So let's get back to work. Maybe we can deliver the rest of those cakes before it's time." He turned to Siesta, only to see that she had grown pale. "What's the matter?" he asked in concern.

"You're…actually going to fight him?"

"Of course!" James exclaimed factually. "It's a great, safe way of resolving disputes."

"You…you're going to get killed," Siesta stammered, wide-eyed.

"Huh?" Meowth gaped.

"If you truly anger a noble…"

"Don't worry," James assured her, "if you're worried about the food, just come to the duel with plenty of goodies. Everyone loves a good snack during a big fight."

"You…want me to serve food at the duel while you fight?" she asked in horror.

"Of course," Meowth exclaimed. "You helped us, so now we're helping you."

"I'll never forget your kindness," Siesta sobs, "so I'll come, even if I have to witness your deaths." With that, she dashed off in tears.

Team Rocket stared at her in disbelief. "Don't know what bugged her," Jessie said. "Getting killed in a battle? She must be crazy!"

"Don't be so hard on her," James said defensively. "She must be a little weak-hearted about fighting, that's all. Maybe after we win we can give her that familiar as a present."

"James!" Jessie shouted pounding him into the ground. "What about the Boss? We need a familiar for her."

"Okay, okay!" James acquiesced. "But if we catch another familiar, maybe we could give that one to her then. Having a partner is very good for your health."

"Fine, we'll see," Jessie said, "But Boss first. And speak of the Absol," she commented, seeing Louise approach them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Louise demanded. "I saw all of that!"

"Look Boss," James said, "we haven't done very well as your familiars so far. But a battle is one way we can turn this all around. After we defeat this Guiche, you won't have anything to worry about."

"So stubborn," Louise grated, "but you know what? You can't win. You'll be injured beyond hope, even if you survive."

"Relax, Boss," Meowth assured her, "we wouldn't have agreed to the battle if we didn't know it wasn't already in the bag. We were watching that Sandshrew familiar of his during class, and while it's certainly strong, we can probably defeat it by numbers alone."

"Idiots!" Louise ranted, slapping them. "Are you insane? You challenged Guiche, not his familiar. So you'll be fighting him head on."

Team Rocket froze in shock. "You mean…he'll just attack us himself?" Jessie gaped.

"Yes," Louise answered, "and not only is he a skilled Earth mage, he comes from a long lineage of military legends and knows the sword like the back of his hand. So in short, you are doomed."

She expected her familiars to give up then, but instead they steeled themselves and headed off towards Vestri Court. "Wait!" she yelled. "Can't you see it's hopeless?"

"It probably is," Jessie answered with a grim voice, "but hopeless seems to be Team Rocket's life, and so long as we can live with that we will never surrender!"

"So is everything set?" James whispered to Meowth.

Meowth nodded. "Don't worry! When I flick the switch, the whole field will go kablooey! Dere's enough ammo underground to blow up a dozen Electrodes!"

"Quiet!" Jessie hushed them. "Here they come!" Team Rocket quickly jumped back into their hiding place. Ordinarily, it would have been nigh impossible to hide anywhere on Vestri Court. The so-called garden was more of a lawn, with very little cover to hide under, despite the shadows that the court's position in the west allowed. However, Team Rocket had elegantly resolved this dilemma by bringing their own shrubbery, which they were now crouched behind. It had taken them a lot of work to make the necessary preparations in the short interval of time, but they had finished everything just by a hair, as now the crowds of curious students, driven by the rumors of a duel, swarmed the court. Oddly, no one seemed to question the presence of a lone set of bushes. The three did tense though when Tabitha gave a knowing glance towards the fake-smelling plants, only to sigh in relief as she turned away.

Finally, Guiche entered the battlefield with a triumphant strut, trailed by a pleading Louise. "Please Guiche," Louise begged, "don't go through with this. I am apologizing on behalf of my familiars; isn't that enough to salve your pride?"

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that Miss Valliere," Guiche replied firmly. "Those commoners of yours have not only sullied the honor of two fine feminine roses, but have also dared to threaten my beloved Verdandi of all noble creatures. Of course, I will be merciful if your familiars do not show," he noted, peering around the court for them. "They seem to have fled in terro…"

Without warning, a cloud of smoke engulfed the field. Out of the darkness, three figures became gradually visible. "Prepare for trouble!" a familiar female voice boldly declared.

"And make it Zero!" an alto voice added. Louise began to twitch as the bold and ludicrous speech continued.

"To protect the worlds from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our own nation!"

"To destroy the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the moons above!"

"Jessie!" she shouted, bursting out of the cloud.

"James!" he shouted, emerging in turn from the Smokescreen, tossing a glorious rose at the foot of Guiche.

"And Meowth, dat's me!" Meowth exclaimed, leaping into the air. Reaching the end of their new motto, the trio quickly formed a daring pose.

"Team Zero," Jessie declared, oblivious to their new Boss' growing anger, "blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now," James warned, "or we'll blow up everything in sight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" he added, finishing the motto with a bang.

"You, you…" Louise grunted, fury boiling in her eyes.

"So how was that Boss?" Meowth asked, walking over towards her.

"Pretty good for the moment," Jessie observed, "though the motto might need a few touches."

"Sorry that we don't have new uniforms," James said apologetically, "But it will take us time to make uniforms for the new team…"

"Team 'Zero'?" Louise demanded. "Are you trying to humiliate me, or are you just too dumb to think about your master?"

"Huh?" Jessie said. "We thought we needed a new team name since you're the Boss now."

"And the name 'Zero' is a cool team name," James continued. "It shows you are on the bottom of the mountain, with nothing able to push you lower however much they try and everything to gain."

"That name is an insult to me!" Louise shouted. "Change it now!"

"Sorry," Meowth said, "but we already made a name and motto, so it's too late to turn back. Besides, we can't go back to our old motto; this is a whole new series."

"If you are done here," Guiche said impatiently, "shall we begin? I must commend you for not running away. Such fanfare however is only suitable for a noble, as I will soon teach you."

"Well, we won't give up that easily!" James told him.

"We're ready to take on whatever hocus pocus you shove at us!" Jessie shouted.

"Dat's right," Meowth concurred, "we'll even take on a lightning bolt." Team Rocket shivered at this thought, influenced by years of Thunder Bolts, but held their ground.

"Your bravery is commendable," Guiche said. "but it would behoove me to dirty my hand in this matter. No, I will rather leave this to my Valkyrie."

"Valkyrie?" James asked puzzled.

Giving a leisurely smile, Guiche simply flicked his own rose at the trio. "We share a taste for the finer flowers in life," Guiche complimented James, "but yours lacks the magic that gives power in life. Allow me to show you what separates a commoner from a noble."

A petal floated down as if dancing in the air, only to transform into the armor-clad shape of a female warrior. Team Rocket stared in shock at the strange thing. It was the same height as a human, but seemed to be a Rock or Steel type, its metal skin glimmering in the faint sunlight.

"Wh…what the heck is dat thing?" Meowth asked, the remote control now lying on the floor. This was not part of the plan.

"I guess I forgot to mention earlier. My Runic name is the Bronze. Guiche the Bronze. Accordingly, my bronze golem 'Valkyrie' will be your real opponent." Team Rocket stopped dead in its tracks at this turn of events.

"I will understand if you wish to surrender now that you realize the futility…"

"This is perfect!" Jessie exclaimed.

"What?" Guiche gaped in shock.

"Here we were, getting all worried on how they'd treat our cheating. Who knew that you would cheat first! So this is perfectly within the rules?"

"Of course," Guiche said officiously.

"Well then, let's get on with this." Jessie drew out a ball, followed in turn by James. "Arbok, go!" she shouted, hurling the tiny orb at the golem.

"You too, Weezing!" James commanded, letting his ball go. Guiche and the Valkyrie did not budge. It was doubtful that the plebian weapons would have any effect on them; in any case, the aim was entirely off…

The crowd's fervor abruptly fell into frozen silence at the scene before it. Opening like eggs midair, the two balls unleashed glowing lights. The two lights gradually condensed and faded to reveal two mysterious and terrifying creatures. The first was what seemed to be a giant cobra, resembling the small red serpent that the now-graduated Jafar had summoned three years prior. However, this snake's large size, dark purple scales, and bright markings made it much more terrifying than that little familiar. As for the other thing…Many students blanched at the sight of the repulsive entity. It resembled two pussy, rotting heads glued together, with the bone markings on the one head adding to its fearsome appearance.

"You sent in your fighter," Jessie explained to Guiche, "so now we're sending in ours."

"Alright!" Meowth said, hurrying over to the center of the court to referee the match. "Dis battle here is between Team Zero and Guiche," Meowth spoke in an officious manner. "Each challenger is allowed six fighters. When one side is no longer able to battle, the other side will be declared victor. Are there any objections from the challengers?"

Guiche stared in bewilderment at the new challenge before him, but then recovered and shook his head. "No, that should suffice," he answered.

"Then let the match begin!" Meowth declared.

"Okay Weezing," James commanded, "use Smokescreen!" With a 'Weeze', Weezing covered the court once more in smoke.

"Arbok!" Jessie shouted, taking advantage of the cover. "use Bite!"

Through his shared vision with the golem, Guiche struggled to see through the black fog. He had scant warning before Arbok appeared inches before him, mouth wide open in preparation. However, Guiche designed the Valkyries for agility, and the golem was able to dive to the side as Arbok lunged past it. The smoke soon cleared, preventing Arbok from initiating another surprise attack. Still, the golem did not escape entirely unscathed, the missing chunk of metal from its side revealing Arbok's power. "It appears I underestimated you three," Guiche noted, drawing forth his rose once more. "You may not be nobles, but you certainly aren't commoners. Just what are you?"

"We're a team," Jessie replied, "and an invincible one at that."

"We'll see," Guiche said, attempting to conceal his growing dread, "Once I add some further precautions." With that, he let loose five more petals, which instantly transformed into more Valkyries. Unlike the bare-fisted original, these golems wielded various weapons. Three held spears, while the other two swung swords.

Team Rocket tensed up in foreboding at the now-six opponents, but kept their cool. They'd been hoping that the rules would force Guiche to bring out his Sandshrew, but their plan was for naught. Still, it was probably good that they put a limit on fighters, otherwise who knew how many Guiche might send in. While they only had five Pokémon in total, the sixth 'fighter' was going to be a surprise; after all, while Team Rocket might play by the rules when it suited them, they were crooks at heart.

"If it's all out," Jessie grunted, "then get in there Wobbuffet!"

"You too Victreebel!" James shouted. The next creature to appear was not the most foreboding of enemies; it seemed almost comical with its bright blue fur and its arm up in salute. Likewise, the other 'Pokémon" sent in- a strange plant- was somewhat humorous in its attempt to devour the one who summoned it. Still, after the unexpected events so far, nobody was willing to give a firm verdict on the battle's outcome.

"Alright Arbok," Jessie ordered, "Poison Sting!"

"Victreebel," James said, "use Sleep Powder."

Opening its mouth wide, Arbok let loose sharp, colorful needles that hurtled at the stone enemies. In turn, Victreebel unleashed a cloud of blue dust, which floated towards the Valkyries. However, the Poison Sting needles simply bounced off the opponents. Jessie gaped in shock. Poison Sting was essentially fluid poison converted into the form of a pin; it should have been able to permeate the hide of any creature, no matter how hard the skin was. But none of the strange beings appeared to be affected at all by the poison. Likewise, they did not appear drowsy to the least, as Sleep Powder proved a failure. "What?" Jessie gasped, confidence fading.

"You see," Guiche explained, "My golems are not alive in a literal sense; they were initially lumps of pure bronze, which I then molded with my powers to make powerful warriors.

"So status attacks won't work," James mused. This was bad for them. They knew that Steel, Ground, and Rock types usually had high defenses, so the usual physical attacks were out of the question. Plan B was to weaken them with status ailments, but that obviously wasn't working either.

"Now you will see how a noble fights in comparison." With that, he sent his warriors forward to engage in close combat.

"Arbok, get out of the way!" Jessie yelled frantically.

"You too, Victreebel," James said worriedly.

Those two Pokémon were the obvious target, and the golems were homing in on them. Weezing was in the air, so attacking it was not an option at the moment. Wobbuffet and Meowth were on the ground, but Guiche ignored them for the moment, planning to save what appeared to be the weaker links for later. Right now, he wanted to take out what appeared to be the two strongest challengers.

Arbok and Victreebel did not waste trying to launch what would be an ultimately futile attempt to attack. What was the use, when faced against such powerful enemies? Instead, they focused only on moving away from their attackers, not giving a single blow even as they were dealt more and more. Finally though, Guiche called off the troops, saying, "That's enough for now. We'll regroup, and get them the next round."

Jessie slumped in defeat; it was hopeless. James almost hung his head as well, but a strange movement from one of the golems caught his eye. "Jessie," he said suddenly, pulling at her shoulder, "look over there."

Jessie stared in confusion until her eyes homed in on one Valkyrie in particular. Unarmed unlike the others, it seemed to be limping. At a closer look, the reason was clear: a small chunk of its body had crumbled, hindering its movement. "What happened to it?" Jessie wondered. "Isn't that the one that Arbok missed with Bite?"

"Maybe it didn't miss," James said. "Then that means…" Jessie pondered.

"That these Valkyries aren't as tough a Steel type as we thought," James finished her thought. "Ready for another round?"

"You bet!" Jessie said, determination returning.

Growing confident with the ease of victory so far, Guiche deigned to send only three of his six forward. A sword-wielding Valkyrie charged Arbok, while the unarmed Valkyrie and a spear-carrying one moved towards Victreebel. This time though, Team Rocket was ready. Just as the sword golem was about to slash Arbok, Jessie yelled, "Wrap!" Instead of fleeing the attacker, Arbok opened its wide body in welcome. Caught in the momentum, Guiche was only able to watch in horror as the golem hurled headlong into Arbok's embrace. As soon as it was within reach, Arbok wrapped its slender yet strong serpentine body around the golem, crushing its metallic body to rubble. The sword tried to vainly slice at Arbok, but was quickly snagged and destroyed, leaving only a small scratch behind on Arbok.

The other two lunged at Victreebel, but were halted when James yelled, "Weezing, Sludge Attack!" The spear wielding golem was engulfed in a murky layer of black slime. Slowly but surely, it fell to the ground, the potent acids eating away at its metal until only rusty ashes remained. Although Guiche managed to get the other golem out of Weezing's range in time, it was crippled by the aftermath of Arbok's Bite, causing it to stumble into Victreebel's Vine Whip. Whirling the helpless golem into the air, Victreebel threw it away from the battle. The golem hurtled headlong into the crowd, which quickly moved to allow the surprisingly-lightweight fighter continue its trajectory until it collided a on the far end of the court, where it then shattered.

Guiche stared wide-eyed at his remaining Valkyries. Three of the six had already fallen with just a couple of swift attacks. And he could not engage the opponents without exposing them to the crippling poisonous and physical attacks. It didn't help that one was floating out of range in the air.

Suddenly, Guiche had an inspiration. It was a little unconventional, but this duel, if anything, proved that even the bizarre could find honor and nobility. Guiche had his spear Valkyries fall back, staying a safe distance from the enemies. He then had the last sword golem charge Victreebel again. Jessie and James, their own arrogance creeping in, did nothing to stop them, as Weezing hovered above in preparation.

"Weezing," James said calmly, "use Sludge Attack again." Weezing opened its mouth, only to be stopped abruptly as a set of spears collided with it. Safe from their position, the spear-Valkyries had thrown their weapons at the two-headed monster, striking true. Damaged and caught off guard by the attack, Weezing was unable to react as the second part of Guiche's plan came into fruition. Turning away from Victreebel towards Weezing, the sword golem then jumped high into the air. With a combo of slashes, Weezing fell to the ground in defeat. "Weezing, return!" James said, drawing Weezing back into its ball. "I'll have to say," he told Guiche, "I wasn't expecting that. You would have been a great trainer."

"I do not know what you mean by this 'trainer' title," Guiche replied, "But they would certainly have the grace to be a noble if they did not lack magic."

"Magic ain't the only solution to things," Meowth said. "It's powerful to be sure, but it's what your will and heart have that proves it in the end. Technology, money, brains…all those can be just as powerful as magic if you put enough effort into it. And while you're getting better at some of those other areas, you still have a lot to learn. Such as," he continued, spreading his paws out to show the weapons now held in them, "not leaving your items where professional thieves can nab em!"

Guiche's eyes widened as he made out the two spears that Meowth had snagged. He desperately had the sword golem lunge at the cat to retrieve the weapons, but Meowth hid behind Wobbuffet. The Valkyrie charged forward regardless, only to be knocked back as a shield formed around Wobbuffet. "Good show of initiative, Wobbuffet!" Jessie praised him, albeit while whispering, "if only you were so reliable all the time."

Damaged but still intact, the golem returned to its comrades, unwilling to expose itself too much. Taking advantage of the brief lull in battle, James had Victreebel use Swords Dance to boost its attack. Even so, the two sides appeared to be at a standstill. The Valkyries were too fast to attack head-on, and Guiche was too cautious now to expose his golems in another charge. Still, the lull could not last forever, as noise from the crowd indicated the desire for the battle to continue. However, while many were rooting for Guiche, a number of students were now cheering for Team Zero.

Suddenly, Jessie had an idea. "Arbok," she commanded, "use Dig!" Burrowing into the ground, Arbok vanished from the view of the audience. Guiche clenched his fists as he realized the strategy. Of course, he could use his Earth affinity to detect Arbok underground, but somehow he had lost his willingness to use magic in this duel. The motivation for this was the same reason why he had not expended the last golem of his arsenal of seven to reinforce the others. It was unfamiliar to him, but this setting just made him feel so alive, and this he, as a connoisseur of life's passion, would not allow himself to break.

Putting his trust in his servants, he sent the Valkyries forward to attack Victreebel. With Weezing out of the picture, he might have a chance to take out the plant. It was clear that the battle was reaching its climax, so there was no holding back. In any case, he was not thinking about the end of battle anymore, whether as a victory or a defeat; he felt the surge of battle calling him, so he put all his will into his precious Valkyries. Victreebel launched a barrage of Razor Leafs to impede their progress, but to no avail, as the golems continued forward regardless of their chipping exteriors. A Vine Whip managed to immobilize the bare-fisted golems, but proved only temporary, as the sword golem cut through the vines like butter. Reaching Victreebel's proximity, the five began to engage in close combat with Victreebel. It was a furious brawl, with dust rolling in to mask the chaotic fight within, but it was clear that Victreebel was hopelessly outnumbered.

Meowth watched the events from a safe distance behind Wobbuffet with trepidation. Arbok could not emerge into that warzone unscathed, and while Arbok bided its time Victreebel was about to faint. And here he was, a member of Team Rocket and Team Zero, cowering and unable to help. All he had with him were a couple of dinky spears that he didn't even know how to use…

Meowth was caught off guard as his runes began to glow on his paws. _My body, it's so dang light I could fly to da moon and back! _Meowth stared in bafflement at the two spears gripped in his claws, which were so familiar now that they seemed almost an extension of his body. _Dat's strange. I've never even used an old tool like dis before. I'm a whiz with mechanics, but this medieval junk should be a puzzle for me. But now… _

Feeling a strange power rush through him, Meowth hurled himself headlong into the fray. The dust settled in an instant as the two spears somehow cleaved one of the golems. At the sight of his golem sliced into like a lump of clay, Guiche began to moan before stopping himself, and proceeded to send his two remaining golems at Meowth. The golems surrounded Meowth and sprang on him at once. And just when it looked like they had him, another was slashed apart. It had been so fast that nobody even saw the spears. Jessie and James stared in amazement at Meowth's new attack, as well as puzzlement; for some reason, his attack resonated within them.

The final golem promptly dashed away to escape the impending doom, only to be halted as Arbok burst from the ground in front of it. "Acid!" Jessie shouted triumphantly.

"And Razor Leaf for you, Victreebel!" James said, feeling the rare joy of victory. Cut to pieces by Razor Leaf, and then disintegrated by Acid, nothing remained of the golem once the attack combo was complete.

Returning to the center of the battlefield, Meowth announced, "Guiche's Valkyries are unable to battle. The victory goes to Team Zero!" There was stunned silence for a moment, but soon the entire crowd burst into applause at the spectacle. Rowdy cheers echoed through the court, both baffled at the turn of events and amazed at the beauty of the fight.

"That was great Meowth!" Jessie and James exclaimed, rushing over to him.

"How'd you learn that attack?" James asked.

Scratching his head sheepishly, Meowth muttered, "Guess it just hit me all of a sudden!"

Turning back towards Guiche, Jessie demanded, "Alright, we won. So where's your familiar prize?"

Guiche generated a small ball of Earth magic in front of him as a warning. "I remind you that the duel you originally made was with I, and I am more than ready to continue if you press the issue. This battle was…inspiring though, and for that I commend you. Thus, I rescind my quarrel with you regarding my dear Montmorency. However, I cannot allow you to take my precious Verdandi. In any case, it would be nigh difficult to separate a familiar from its master. All I require is a simple 'I'm sorry.' Although you redeemed your grace here, your uncouth behavior from before needs to be dampened. Just apologize, and we can be done with it."

"Hold on!" Meowth said angrily. "You mean we'se got into this duel, was beaten up, and won, for nothing?"

"That's right!" Jessie said. "We deserve something for all the trouble we went through, and we're going to get it!"

Taken aback, Guiche said, "I am certain that we can reach a suitable arrangement to compensate for your efforts, but there is no need to continue this duel any further."

Team Rocket looked crestfallen, but nodded in acquiescence. "Oh!" Jessie whined softly. "And we put all that work into preparing for a fight against you."

"You said it," Meowth agreed. "We made a bomb and every…hey!" he exclaimed worriedly.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"I've lost the remote!" Meowth said anxiously. "I musta dropped it when I went over to referee."

"It couldn't have gone that far," Jessie said, peering around.

Their search was interrupted by squeaks from the side of the court. All eyes turned to see a large brown mole curiously poking its nose in something. "Verdandi!" Guiche exclaimed, hurrying over to her. "Do not worry; I have assured your safety with me. Now what is it that has you so interested?"

Taking the object away from Verdandi's nose, he held it up to his face in scrutiny. It was a strange silver disc with bright buttons arrayed on it. "You certainly prove your worth Verdandi," Guiche complimented her, "finding rare metals for an Earth mage like I. This is certainly an unusual metal…"

"Wait!" Meowth yelled frantically, recognizing the object. "Don't touch dat!" However, it was too late, as one of Guiche's fingers had strayed to press the bright red button in the center. Guiche had but a moment to stare quizzically at the trio before he was embraced in a massive white light along with the rest of the court. In an instant, a massive explosion, rivaling some of the Zero's infamous goofed spells, covered the entire field. As the white faded, those fortunate enough to evade the explosion were witness to a now-ruined garden. The once shining grass was now charred in all places. The once proud attire of the students was now all but charred, with most mages still dazed from the shock. And the for-once-victorious trio was nowhere to be seen; the only sign of where they had been was a darker-than-normal burn mark on the ground. As those present struggled to comprehend the wrecked landscape, none spared a glance to the skies, and therefore missed the one other sign of the trio- a rapidly vanishing star.

Louise went to bed that night with a sigh. On the one hand, her familiars had finally proved their worth. But the price was too heavy. Now her one source of pride amidst her failures was gone forever. They had been so strong during the duel, but then they explosion… There were rumors now that the explosion was Louise's; she'd have to deal with taunts in the morning, harassing her for killing her own familiars. For now though, she just wanted some time to herself.

Louise awoke from her restless sleep to a clamor outside her window. Louise readied herself to defend against her would-be attackers, only to falter as three familiar figures plopped onto her floor. "Wha..wha..wha…"

Oblivious to Louise's meltdown, Jessie, James, and Meowth dusted themselves off. "Sorry we're late Boss," James apologized, ignorant of Louise's pale face. "We really did try to get back here as soon as we could."

"We just weren't expecting so many different things to be out and about in the forest," Meowth explained. "We musta had ta fight through a dozen different hordes of creatures. We'll have to go back once we'se got the proper supplies to catch em."

"And we would have gone through the gate," Jessie explained, "but it was locked for some reason. You'd think that they would have enough dignity to account for late-night visitors."

"Anyways," James continued, "we're sorry that we caused such a fuss climbing into your room. We must have scared you out of your sleep, with that white face…"

Louise couldn't hold her turmoil any further. "You're dead!" she screamed. The three looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?" Meowth asked.

"We don't look dead," James noted.

"Bu…but you were destroyed in the explosion," Louise gasped. "Everyone thought you were killed."

"That's silly!" Jessie said. "It takes more than a little explosion like that to kill this team."

"Dat's right!" Meowth agreed. "We may not be the victors usually, but we're always invincible!"

"Now that we're back," James said, trying to get back to the subject, "can we go to bed- or floor- now? We're all kind of sleepy after today's work."

Louise's worry was quickly consumed by annoyance._ I bet those idiots thought it probably wouldn't matter if they died. And here I was feeling guilty for them! _Fueled by anger, Louise responded to the request with a stomp to the face. "Idiots!" she shouted, pulling them off the bed by the scruff of their necks. "If you want to sleep, then get off my bed!"

"Ow! Take it easy Boss!" Meowth said defensively as they tumbled to the floor. "We're still recovering, ya know!"

"If you're well enough to complain," Louise said, "you're well enough for anything else." Team Rocket stood up, brushing themselves off.

"In that case," Jessie told her, "We'll take our leave now."

"Yeah," James said plaintively, "We won't trouble you any further.

They headed for the door, only to be hit by a pile of clothes.

"Meow!" Meowth screamed.

"That's the laundry that piled up while you were frolicking in the countryside," Louise said. "Once you're done with that, clean up the room. Hop to it!"

"Yes, sir!" they saluted before dashing off. Louise stared angrily at the door until their footsteps vanished, and then fell back into her bed, a small amount of regret in her heart. She had been hoping that they would protest, that she would have a chance to understand just how her stupid familiars could pull off a stunt like that. They were her familiars, to be sure, but she had to admit, this 'invincible team', the one that seemed unable to achieve something worthy of a commoner, much less a noble, could be so…inspiring.


	4. Episode III: All's Unfair in Love and Ba

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode III: All's Unfair in Love and Battle

James groaned as he hit another parapet. There was a good reason that Team Rocket avoided night climbing; not only was it tiring, but if you missed a stone in the dark, it was a long way down. It didn't help that he was stuck doing the ordeal alone. The two had told him that, since he had been absent during their first swiping attempt, he might as well make up for it this time. James suspected that the cowards were simply trying to avoid any further Fire and Ice attacks. However, James wasn't too worried on that end.

Once they had constructed more fireproof netting, the trio had debated on how to steal the salamander. Jessie and James had fretted about getting attacked again, and even considered calling off the mission on account of the dragon. Since said girl and dragon seemed to be keeping an eye on them, it seemed hopeless. It was a brilliant move when he suggested that they steal the Charmaleon when everyone was asleep; that way there would be no danger to them. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that idea-bringers were a common Team Rocket target for work, forcing him to carry out his plan. And while the capture itself should be simple, the climb up was proving to be anything but. Still, it was only a few more feet to the window, and he would be in the clear.

After a brief struggle, James hauled himself over the window sill and let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion as he reached his destination. Taking a breath to ease his anxiety, James stood up and examined his surroundings. The room was pitch dark, save for the mild glow of the snoozing Flame. James smirked in triumph until he heard the words, "Welcome to my room."

James froze in horror. He heard the snaps of fingers, and then blinked as lamps lit up one by one like street lights. And at the end of the street lay Kirche on her bed, a mix of confusion and delight on her face. "Don't just stand there," she spoke in a captivating voice, "come to me and sit down."

James approached her and sat down at the foot of her bed, trepidation in his stomach at being caught in the act. "I'm…sorry," James mumbled desperately, hoping that she was not going to report him. The Boss would beat her up for sure if she got dragged into a thief scandal.

James' garbled apology was cut short as Kirche placed a delicate finger to his mouth. "Hush," she told him smoothly, "I will forgive you. Assuming of course, that you forgive me." Kirche used her watery eyes to appeal to James' primal soul.

It indeed touched his primitive instincts, but little did she realize that it was having the opposite effect of what she intended.

"For…forgive what?" James asked, sweat running down his brow. He hadn't felt this nervous since…

Kirche suddenly gripped James' hand, enveloping them in her warm palms before slowly caressing each finger. "Loving you, my dear. To you, my love is that sudden."

_Since Jessibelle,_ James' subconscious provided the end of his thought. "Yeah, that's sudden all right!" James exclaimed, his legs tensing for flight. _Please tell me you're joking._

However, Kirche's appeared serious. "Your grandeur in defeating Guiche, it was so…unique! The grace of an elegant noble with the courage of a knight. You may not have fought him yourself, but at that moment you seemed like a hero of legend, and that was when I fell in love. Right that very moment. Can you believe it? I was attracted to you just like that! Oh, the Passion! It suits my runic name of the Ardent!

"And now," she continued, eyes gleaming with flame, "I can see that our passion burns in both of us. Here I was trying to figure out how to lure you here, and you climb into my very window!"

"Oh, well, uh…" James stumbled, realizing the grave misunderstanding. It seemed that his plans of theft were safe, but now he had something even worse to deal with.

"I could not stop thinking of you since that day," Kirche reflected. "I've been writing love songs since that day. Love song! Just for you…James." James just sat there, at a complete loss of words. Kirche took his silence as acceptance, and, slowly, with closed eyes, brought her lips up to James'. Stunned and confused, James was unable to resist, and gradually came to embrace the kiss, preparing to leap up and run at any moment…

However, the tryst was interrupted by another voice from the window. "Kirche!" the boy called. "Are you ready yet?"

"Styx," Kirche responded, masking her annoyance with honey, "how does four hours later sound?"

James almost began to crawl away, but Kirche returned in a flash. They were interrupted again though, this time from another playboy. "Kirche," he said, "I came to check because you weren't there on time…"

"Berisson!" Kirche shot back, frustration beginning to leak through. "Just wait two more hours!"

She turned back again, only to freeze as three more voices called into the room, "Kirche! Who the hell is this? You said you didn't have any other lovers!"

Unable to take anymore, Kirche gestured to the now alert Flame, and the two approached the window with determination. With Kirche diverted, James began to quietly creep towards the exit. He had to admit, he hated hurting her feelings. And while she had Jessibelle's obsession, she lacked her…domineering nature. Jessibelle's kisses were always condescending, whereas the kiss he just had was certainly sincere. Still, he'd made a promise to himself after his mistake with Jessibelle, one that he had placed in the team's motto: to denounce the evil of love. James made it to the door only to droop in defeat as he saw that it was closed. He wouldn't be able to open it without being spotted. His eyes then turned to the window, where Kirche was in a heated argument with the trio of suitors. Oh well, guess he'd have to run the gauntlet.

Flame was about to fire a blaze at the boys when James suddenly rushed past it and Kirche, leaping out the window. He tackled the three men midair, and used them as a boost to hurl himself even farther away. Their spell broken, the three hurtled to the ground, just like James was now. James however was steeled by his experience with Team Rocket, and in a second was up and running for a place to hide. Kirche stared outside, admiration in her eyes. It was too bad that their time together was cut so short, but her heart beat even faster after seeing his chivalrous defense of her honor; a heroic knight indeed!

It was another glorious day in Halkeginia. The two moons had vanished, and the sun was just beginning to take its sisters' place in the sky, light slowly emerging with the dawn. Team Zero was ready and raring to start their new day of work. Assuming that they could leave the room, that is.

"C'mon Boss!" Meowth begged desperately. "Let's talk this thing through."

Shaking her head firmly from her position in front of the door exiting her room, she replied, "Not until I get some answers!"

Louise had been curious about her familiars ever since the duel, and wanted to know more. Unfortunately, he familiars proved to be experts at weaseling out of her interrogations. It had been a week since Team Rocket started their lives as her familiar, yet they continued to run circle around her, evading her questions with excuses of errands. They would bring up something she wanted done, she'd tell them to do it, and only realize the trick until they had disappeared into the labyrinth of the academy.

It didn't help that the buffoons had another job that they were ever sneaking away for. As soon as they had recovered from their latest blast-off, Team Rocket had joined Siesta as servants in the academy. It was difficult to balance the two jobs, but while Louise gave them grief the rest of the staff was forgiving of their double duties. Apparently their battle had had an effect on the servants, who now called the Rockets 'Our Nobles'. They got the name because while they seemed like nobles in some regards, they were humble and dedicated workers whenever they showed up, truly making them a part of the regular staff. After a week of failing to get the answers she wanted, Louise had had just enough. Like it or not, her familiars were not leaving the room without a full explanation. It was a pity that she only trapped two of them, but she was not letting this opportunity vanish.

"Boss, be reasonable," Meowth continued. "We have to see if Siesta has any jobs for us…"

"She doesn't."

"What?" they exclaimed at Louise's statement.

"I…talked with them earlier," Louise explained- _and had to pay them thirty gold apiece, greedy commoners!_- "and they're giving you all the day off today. Therefore, we have all the time in the world right now."

"We may have all the time," Jessie pointed out, "but you don't. You have a class in a half hour, remember?" Louise gritted her teeth in frustration. Of course! How could she have forgotten? Louise sighed in misery; she'd been driven mad by her familiars' antics, and she'd go crazier if she did not get the answers soon.

Louise was pushed literally out of her melancholy as James shoved his way into the room. "James!" Jessie exclaimed, sidling up to him. "How'd our little foray go?" she whispered hopefully.

James ignored her and turned to face Louise. "Boss," he said desperately, "you know how we were planning to go to town during that holiday in a couple of days?"

"You mean the Day of the Void?" Louise said.

"Well," he mumbled, "I was thinking…maybe we should head over there a little sooner?"

"How sooner?" Louise asked tensely, feeling an intangible degree of worry slip into her stomach.

"Like…today, right now?" James suggested.

"James!" Jessie shouted at him. "We can't just up and…" She halted when she saw Jame's terrified face. The expression was one very familiar to her: _something's been really messed up, and we'd better leave before it blows up in our face!_ She had no idea what had went wrong with James' mission, but questions could wait; in a situation like this, the best thing to do was run first, ask questions later. "I think that's a great idea Boss!" Jessie exclaimed, taking Louise by an arm and ushering her down the hall at a quick pace.

"No time like the present!" Meowth added, catching his partners' drift.

"But what about my class?" Louise asked.

"Oh, don't be a party pooper," Jessie told her. "You don't learn anything worthwhile in your classes anyways, so you might as well be productive with your time."

"I haven't learned anything from being around you three either," Louise countered, breaking free into a huff.

"Tell ya what Boss," Meowth said, glancing from side to side, "you'se take us to town now, and we'll tell you what you want to know on the way. Deal?"

Louise hesitated, but sighed, "Fine!" At least she would be getting some answers after all.

"Horses?" Jessie gaped, staring at the unruly-looking beasts. "We have to ride all the way on these things?"

"Yeah!" Meowth complained. "Our sides and tails will all be sore before we even get halfway."

Louise scoffed at their hesitance. "Commoners! Can't even ride a horse! It's not like we can walk our way there, now can we?"

"Hey!" James countered. "I'll have you know that where we come from, people recognize just how dignified and noble walking really…"

"The point," Jessie interrupted him, "is that if we're taking our master to town, we're going in style."

Louise stared in surprise. "Style?" she asked, puzzled.

Louise gazed in amazement at the scene before her. The fields looked so beautiful from this high up, and she could see miles in every direction. Louise's attention however was not focused so much on the scenery but rather on how she was able to see such a view in the first place. Her eyes traveled up once more to the root of her confusion- an elastic, flimsy canvas that somehow lifted the giant basket they were in up to the clouds. Such a thing shouldn't be able to fit into and out of a tiny backpack, much less fly. And how? There were no Windstones anywhere on the craft. After seeing the fire in the center, Louise had an inspiration, but became distraught again after learning that, no, there were no Firestones on board.

"I don't get it," Louise finally said. "If there is no magic anywhere on this ship, then how can it even reach the skies?"

"Easy," Jessie answered: "Team Rocket prowess at technology."

"Tek…noloji?" Louise stammered. "And what is this 'teknoloji? And I want an answer; we had a deal, remember?"

Team Rocket froze trying to find an excuse, but then sighed in defeat. "You start it out Meowth," Jessie ordered.

"Er…well," Meowth stammered, trying to figure out what to say. Why was he considered the resident Pokémon expert? Oh yeah, that's right- because he's a Pokémon. "In the beginning…when it was the beginning of things…at the beginning…"

Jessie and James stamped their feet on Meowth impatiently, accompanied by Louise. "Just get on with it!" Louise commanded.

"You see," Meowth said, "our world used to be a lot like yours. Humans shared strong bonds with magical creatures- we call ourselves Pokémon- and were thus gifted over time with the elemental magic- like Fire and Water- the Pokémon carried within them. After a while though, those old bonds faded away, and with it so faded the magic with the humans."

"Today the few people with magical powers are rare and reclusive," Jessie said.

"Even groups of elemental users such as the People of the Sea are now reduced to nomads," James noted.

"However," Meowth continued, "the humans may have lost their own magic, but they found a way to make up for their loss. That gift was…"

"Technology!" the trio shouted in unison, breaking into a pose.

"And what exactly is teknoloji?" Louise asked.

"It's a combination of wills," Jessie proudly stated: "the use of a sharp mind and the application of hard work. And Team Rocket is therefore genius with technology!"

"Surprising," Louise whispered under her breath, "seeing that you lack in both qualities."

"Anyways," Meowth said, "the beauty of technology is that it can accomplish feats rivaling that of magic with actually needing magic."

"Here," James said, handing one of his small balls to Louise. "Don't worry," he assured her, "this one is empty. But these Pokéballs allowed us to find new connections to Pokémon."

"New connections…" Louise mused, straightening in revelation. "These balls let you bond familiars without magic?" she asked, feeling light within. How was it even possible? And what did it mean for her?

"That is correct," James answered, "although there are some minor differences; for example, although one is limited to six balls at a time, one can have more stored elsewhere…"

Louise stared blankly up at the balloon. "And that's how you got this ship to fly as well?" she inquired. "Using teknoloji?"

"Yep!" Meowth said abashedly. "Though you're really making us blush with that! Where we come from, people would rather call this majestic visage a piece of junk rather than a ship. A ship! Now that's a name suitable for a beautiful thing like this…"

"Don't get too egotistical," Jessie warned. "We still remember just how many times we've had to rebuild this entire thing."

"So anyone can use this teknoloji?" Louise asked, hope leaking into her voice.

"Of course," James told her, "although it takes hard work and dedication to get far in it; even so, anyone with a brain and a pair of hands can manipulate it."

"Including me?"

Team Rocket stared in shock at her. "You want…us to teach you?" Jessie gaped.

"You would disobey your master?" Louise said, determination flaring in her eyes.

"Take it easy Boss!" Meowth said. "We just aren't used to people asking us for help. Sure, we'll make you a whiz at it when we're through with ya!"

James looked curiously at Louise though. "But why do you think you need it," he asked, "if you can use magic?"

Louise collapsed onto the side of the basket and sighed, "Because I can't use any of the four elements, that's why. Maybe though, if I can at least learn this teknoloji, I won't be a complete failure."

James and Jessie placed comforting arms around Louise. "Don't worry," Jessie said, "if there is one thing Team Rocket knows, it's how to give hope to failures. You're in good hands, Boss!"

"Plus," Meowth added, "you might not have tried every type of magic yet." Louise spun around to him in surprise. "You see," Meowth explained, "while your world may have just four elements, ours has seventeen!"

"Se…ven…teen?" Louise gasped, her stomach lightening again in confusion and hope.

"Admittedly," James confessed, "your elements seem to comprise multiple types of our elements. For example, we have Ground, Rock, and Steel where you have simply Earth. Therefore, we can eliminate Fire, Water, Electric, Ice, Flying, and Dragon as well."

"Even so," Jessie said, "that still leaves you with eight possible elements!"

"So what are they?" Louise demanded desperately, "Tell me!"

"Well," James began, "first there's the Bug type. Their special abilities are primarily based on their unique physiology- webs, stingers, and horns for instance."

"So that one's out for me," Louise noted sadly.

"Maybe," James admitted, "but there have been times where Pokémon have learned moves outside their usual element."

"Next there is the Poison type," Jessie said, beaming excitedly, "and that's our specialty. Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel all have affinity for Poison."

Louise smiled at this, but told them, "While it is said that the familiar reflects the mage, generally poisons are associated with Water. Still something to consider though."

"Then we have the Ghost type," Meowth said, "but you don't seem to fit the type."

"Certainly not," Louise huffed, "and you're not going to test it by killing me!"

"Calm down," James reassured her. "The term Ghost is a misnomer; there are still widespread debates on whether or not they actually died first. They get the title because of their intangibility as well as their association with spooky settings.

"Which brings us to our next element," he continued: "the Dark type. They generally embody the aspects of night and darkness."

"Again," Louise said, "not one that I think I am, nor do I want to be."

"Come on Boss," Jessie said. "Evil gets such a bad rap. I mean, we're the most evilest team of villains you've ever seen, and we're still loveable."

_If you ask me, you lack both qualities, _Louise thought.

"Don't worry though," Meowth said. "We're getting to some elements that might actually fit you. The first is the Fighting type. They don't use magic outside them, but rather use it within to power their physical power. Given your skills at kicking, punching, and general beating up…"

Meowth's observation was cut short as Louise demonstrated his statement firsthand. "I have to beat you up with my hands rather than with magic," Louise grated out as she continued her punishment, "and you think that that in itself is magic?"

"Don't you have magical creatures here that prefer physical strength over magic?" James questioned.

"Why, yes," Louise replied, caught off guard by the query. "Minotaurs and the like are technically magical, but…"

"No buts," Jessie told her. "As you can see, power can also come from within the body. And Fighting types are by no means weak. Some species can move whole mountains, or leap over towers, using simply their raw strength. Try and tell me that that isn't magical." Louise dumbly shook her head, conceding their point.

"So anyways," James said, "if you do some serious training, you might do well as a Fighting type. But if you want to use outer magic, then there's the possibility of being a Psychic."

"Psychic?" Louise asked.

"It's one of the most powerful types in the world," Jessie answered. "Their magic is powered by their mental powers; they can literally bend reality according to their will."

"That sounds amazing," Louise admitted, "but what makes you think that I might be one?"

"Well," James said cautiously, "we've noticed that you seem to blow up the most when you're upset…"

"And what about it?" Louise demanded, about to prove James right.

"It's just that newbie Psychics are usually the strongest when their emotions are highly concentrated," Jessie explained quickly.

"We knew this red haired Twerp that had a Psyduck," Meowth recalled. "Was a walking comedy, always fumbling around and acting like an idiot. But when the thing got a headache, it could lift us up and throw us to the clouds and back."

"That's right," James agreed. "Another example was with this cute little girl. When she got sad, she'd let loose powerful magic just like you; of course, it was crystals instead of explosions, but still…"

Louise remained quiet, musing on this possibility. "And what is the last element?" she asked.

"Normal type," Meowth said, "a rather diverse assortment of Pokémon united by two qualities."

"First of all," Jessie told her, "Normals lack strong affinity with any element."

Louise slumped in defeat at this declaration. "So I'm just a weak Normal?" she sighed.

"Hold on," James said, "we haven't gotten to the second quality they have in common. Each normal type makes up for its elemental lack with special abilities unique to its species."

"And you think I might have a unique form of magic?" Louise asked hopefully, wondering what it might be. Wait… "You aren't talking about my explosions, are you?" she demanded.

"Don't be so modest," Meowth said. "I mean, a Voltorb would envy you for your knack of blowing up everything but yourself. And that doesn't even account for the power of the blast!"

"You see," James explained, "most explosive attacks come in two categories. There are the small explosions that do only minor damage; most just use those attacks as diversions and such. Then there are the massive explosions. The problem is, those explosions usually require the user to blow himself up, defeating himself in the process. You on the other hand can blow things up and keep on fighting!"

"Plus," Jessie added, "there are loads of other Normal attacks. Sing, Rollout, Pay Day…With all these elements to try, we're sure to find one for you once we start training."

"But Jessie," Meowth pointed out, "how are we gonna teach her Pokémon attacks?"

"By utilizing our Pokémon expert," Jessie said.

"And just who is…" Meowth stopped as he saw his partners' eyes bore down on him.

"What?" he exclaimed. "How am I supposed to teach her attacks that even I don't know?"

"Just do it!" Jessie said firmly. "Once she starts looking beyond those four elements, she's bound to find something…hey!" she exclaimed in remembrance. "I thought there were five elements?" she asked Louise.

"That's right," James concurred, "I'm sure you said there were five types of magic."

"So what's the fifth?" Meowth asked. "Maybe you should try that type if you haven't already."

Louise stared sadly at their enthusiastic faces, knowing that their hope was for naught. "Void magic has been lost for millenniums." Louise told them, "and only the Founder himself was ever able to harness its power."

"Hey, no need to be despondent," Jessie said. "We'll just have to find it for you."

"What is once lost can be found later," James agreed. "After all, Dark and Steel were forgotten elements until some trainers stumbled on them a couple of years ago, so maybe we can find this Void element too."

"And if this Founder guy is as good as you say," Meowth added, "then you'll be the strongest mage in the world!"

"Town's coming up," Louise interrupted. "We'd better get ready to land." She was more than happy to divert the subject. While she appreciated the hope they gave her, she was not about to believe in the impossible.

"I have to admit Boss," Meowth said, walking down the white cobblestone streets of Tristainia, "this is a pretty nice town you've got here!"

"I agree," James noted. "It's nice to travel through little rustic towns once and a while."

"Little?" Louise huffed. "This is the capital of Tristain! It's one of the finest cities in the world."

"Maybe here," Jessie said, "but we've seen better cities than this traveling the world. Goldenrod would dwarf this city in size, and if you want a beautiful city you can have Altomare. Still, it's a pretty decent town, even if the streets are too narrow."

"Tight? This is a really wide street as it is," Louise said, frustrated by her familiars' lack of awe. She'd hoped that visiting Tristainia would finally humble her familiars, but they still kept bragging about these bizarre places they'd been to. She would call them liars, but she was afraid that they might find a way to prove themselves right; they had an unsettling tendency to do so.

"Chill out Jessie," James told her, "this city isn't that bad. After all, each city has its own unique qualities. And this town seems to shine with stands!" He peered down at a frog in a jar, impressed by the diversity of the shops that lined the streets.

"Hey!" Louise said, jolting his attention. "Don't get too distracted. There are lots of thieves and pickpockets here. You _are _looking after my wallet, right?"

"Of course we are," James replied, "though it seems like a waste to me. How can anyone steal such a heavy bag of gold?"

Louise gave them a condescending stare. "With magic, that can be done in a second."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Jessie reassured her. "Team Rocket is always on the lookout for sneaky tricks."

"And even if someone runs off with it," Meowth added, "it's all the better for us when we catch the crook and then rob him back. With work like dat, you can get double your money."

"And suppose you cannot find out who stole the wallet?" Louise asked.

"Then we'll just rob everyone we can until we find the right one," Jessie answered matter-of-factly. "You can never say that Team Rocket isn't efficient!" Louise turned her mind back to the street, hoping that her familiars were only joking with that nonsense; unfortunately, she had a sinking feeling about their declaration.

"So where are we heading anyways?" Meowth asked, seeing Louise stop at an intersection for orientation.

"Should be near Peyman's Potion Shop…" she mumbled before exclaiming, "Ah! Found it!"

"Found what?" Jessie demanded in frustration.

"The Arms Shop," Louise explained, pointing to a small building, with a sword-shaped sign giving proof to its identity.

"Okay," James said in confusion, "But why are we stopping here?"

"To get you weapons," Louise answered.

"Weapons?" Meowth asked curiously.

"If you're going to be my familiars," Louise told them, "you're going to need a way to defend yourselves. And swords are the best tool for a bodyguard."

"Sorry Boss," James responded, "but we're not used to using weapons like those. We'd probably just cut ourselves instead of the enemy."

"Plus," Jessie added, "we don't really have a taste or need for any; there are plenty of other ways for us to fight."

Louise wanted to argue, but had to concede their point; the duel with Guiche proved that her familiars could certainly hold their own. Still… "What about you, Meowth?" Louise asked. "You were very impressive fighting those golems, so perhaps…"

"Sorry," Meowth told her, "but I like to stay on the sideline. Better my idiot partners get killed than me. Besides, I still have the couple of spears those Valkyries dropped, so I should be fine on that point."

"Hmmm…" Louise stopped, pondering what to do now.

"How about you, Boss?"

"Me?" She looked up at James in surprise. "The sword is a plebian weapon," she protested, "not suited for mages."

"Well then," Jessie said confidently, "it'll fit you just fine."

"What?" Louise glared angrily at her before Meowth jumped between the two.

"Take it easy, Boss!" he said. "It's just dat a sword would be great for your training. You want to learn new attacks, don't ya? Well, a sword will be a good help with that."

"Fine," she said reluctantly. Knights used swords sometimes, so it wouldn't reflect on her too badly. And in any case, she was running low on options, and she'd take whatever chances she could so she could prove her true power.

Despite the bright sky outside, the interior of the shop was dark, and stank with a slightly foul odor. The four passed by the rather disorganized collections of weaponry and approached what appeared to be the owner, reclining in his chair with a pipe. He looked at them with a mix of condescension and suspicion until he saw the pentagram on Louise's outfit. Instantly changing his face to one of subservience and faux cheer, he addressed her, "My lady! My noble lady! All my wares are reasonably priced! Nothing criminal here!"

_Dat's what you think_, Meowth chuckled to himself, eyeing the metallic weapons with a predatory glint. With such an abundance of metals, Team Rocket could surely find equipment for new mechs. And if the quality wasn't as good as the proprietor professed, well, he'd soon learn a wise piece of advice: don't try to cheat cheaters!

"I would like a sword please," Louise said, "fit for a noble.

"Of course!" the man said, nodding knowingly, disappearing only to reappear with a glittering longsword. "Such an honor to have so many nobles grace my establishment of late. It seems that every noble wants his servant armed, with all the trouble we've been having. Most find this time the most pleasing for their servants…"

"The sword is for me," Louise interrupted him. "My bodyguards are capable of looking after themselves." _Even if they only cause trouble for me._

"Oh!" the owner exclaimed in surprise. "A noble buying a sword! Very strange indeed. Priests wave staffs, soldiers wave swords, and nobles wave wands. Isn't that the rule?"

"There's always an exception to the rule," Louise replied, huffing as her uncomfortable situation was brought up. Seeking to divert the subject, she asked, "There has been trouble in the capitol lately?"

"Yes," the man answered, "Tristain's streets have become more and more lined with thieves, no doubt the result of Fouquet setting up shop in this area."

"Fouquet?" Louise asked.

"Some mage who calls himself 'Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt' or some other title like that," he elaborated. "I heard he's stolen a ton of treasures from nobles; because of that, every noble's on guard to protect his possessions."

Louise ignored the talk of thieves- although she'd ask her familiars later about that look in their eyes- and turned her attention to the sword offered. It looked weak, ready to break in an instant. "I'd prefer something bigger and broader," she told him.

"My lady, please forgive my bluntness," the man spoke in a patronizing manner, "swords and people have certain compatibilities, just like men and women. As I look at it, this sword fits my lady very well."

"You heard the Boss," Meowth interjected. "She wants a better sword. So you'd better bring her one!"

Drooping in defeat, the man slunk back into the warehouse, but returned with another, a slight smirk hidden on his face. A two-handed sword, the broadsword was lavishly decorated with jewels on the handle that gave extra shimmer to the mirror-like blade. "This is the best I have," he told her. "Rather than say it's for nobles, it's more like something nobles wish they can wear on their waists; however, that's reserved for strong men. My lady," he pressed, "there must be a sword more befitting a delicate lady…"

"I'll take it," Louise said firmly. "How much is it?"

"Well," the man boasted, hoping to sink the deal, "It's made by the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei," _he'd give his toothy brother a bonus if this deal actually went off, _"It can cut through metal like butter thanks to the magic infused in it. See?" he said, pointing to the inscriptions on the hilt (he'd managed to copy them out of an old book he'd gotten in that bargain sale along with that aggravating wisecracker of a weapon).

Sensing a Raticate, Meowth jumped in, "Before we do anything hasty, let's test out the thing." Louise nodded, and went to pick up the weapon. However, the heavy weight forced it out of her hands and onto the floor below. There, to the team's shock and the vendor's dismay, the blade shattered in an instant.

"Cuts through metal like butter?" Jessie asked snidely. "Looks like the metal cut through it like butter!"

Glaring at the owner, Louise shouted, "You try to fool a noble? I can find a weapon elsewhere, thank you!" With that, she turned to leave.

The storekeeper stared forlornly as his scheme unraveled, but suddenly shot up as an inspiration came to him. "Hold it!" he ordered, dropping his sniveling manner for a bullying tone.

"What now?" Louise asked, turning around halfway.

"Do you really think that you can just walk off after you vandals destroyed my prize item?"

"Prize?" Louise scoffed. "That sword was entirely bogus, and you know it!"

"It was a very valuable weapon," he continued, dismissive of Louise's complaint, "and I will need compensation for my lost expenditures."

"How much?" James asked, worried by the triumphant smirk on the man's face.

"Three thousand gold," he responded.

"You can buy summer estate- with a garden- for that price!" Louise protested.

"A famous sword is worth as much as a castle, my lady," he told her, derision now evident in the title of 'lady'.

"But I only brought a hundred coins," Louise said, eyeing her purse.

"In that case," the man said, "I am certain that you can work off this debt over time. A short indenturement- longer, if you are slow to follow orders- would be able to settle this affair."

"You can't do this to a noble!" Louise yelled, temper flaring.

The crooked merchant ignored Louise's wrath, and threw in a little barb: "If you wish to contest this, of course, we can always bring in the authorities. I'm sure that, once you see a judge, you will be released from your charges. But the guards have been very suspicious of larcenous mages of late, and will likely keep you securely stowed under key for some time. And what will your family think, when they hear of the scandal, hmmm?"

Louise drooped in defeat, the depth of the situation almost unfathomable. She'd be expelled from the Academy for sure, no matter what choice she made. "So," the man continued, "what is your choice?"

Louise began to open her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted when Meowth exclaimed, "Choice C!" Acting on that signal, the three members of Team Rocket tackled the merchant, bagging him into a net.

"Piece of advice, bub," Meowth lectured him, "never try to pull the wool over Team Rocket!"

"Fouquet!" the man exclaimed in terror. "Then the rumors are true!"

"It's Rocket, not Fouquet!" James retorted, but the rest of the argument ground to the halt when Louise broke out of her frozen shock and shouted at them.

"W…wh…what is going on here?" she screamed.

The three stared at her dumbfounded. "Robbing the place, of course," James answered matter-of-factly.

"Exactly what does this 'Team Rocket' generally do?" Louise asked in suspicion. "I just thought that your organization was some sort of guild for monster hunters, but now I have my doubts."

"Well," Meowth admitted sheepishly, "we do hunt monsters. The only thing is…they aren't always wild."

"You mean you steal them," Louise concluded, raising her head up to the ceiling in despair. "Oh, Founder," she moaned, "what did I do to be cursed in such a manner?"

"Hey!" Jessie protested, "we may be crooks, but at least we follow a code."

"We do?" Meowth asked. "What?"

Pounding Meowth to the floor, Jessie continued, "Anyways, even among thieves there's such a thing as a just heist, and that little cheat fits that category perfectly."

"The right or wrong doesn't matter in this case, you fools!" the 'cheat' snarled from his position on the floor. "You have to be mad to assault a store in broad daylight." Sure enough, a clamor of footsteps was building outside, accompanied by the clanking of metal armor. "With all the rumors of Fouquet going around," the conman boasted, "the watch has been exceptionally vigilant, and will liberate me from you scum soon enough. Perhaps if you free me now, I will be more leni…"

His words were cut short when a blow from Jessie sent his into unconsciousness. "We've had just about enough of you," she grunted before turning to James, who had rushed to the door. "What's it look like?" she asked anxiously.

In response, James slammed the door shut and began to push shelves and desks in front of it. "About a dozen armored men," he answered, "who will probably break through the door in just a few minutes."

"Why? Why?" The three turned around to see Louise groaning as she continued to pound her head into the main desk in despair. "Doomed, disgraced, dead…"

"Calm down, Boss!" Meowth exclaimed as the three pulled her upright.

"You can't be so gloomy all the time," James advised her, "as long as you look on the bright side, everything will work out fine."

"What bright side?" she demanded. "We have just held up a store, and have the authorities bearing down on us posthaste! Do you know what this could do to a noble?"

"Look," Jessie snapped, "so things are bad. So what? In our experience, most things in life are usually bad in some way. The point of life is to work to improve them. And we have. In case you didn't notice," she said, gesturing to the conked out storekeeper, "That guy was going to blackmail you into working for him. Now, we have a chance to strike back!"

"Yeah, but…" Louise stammered, unsure on how to counter their argument. They did have a point about the bastard, and she felt a sense of satisfaction at giving him his just deserts.

"Listen Boss," Meowth advised, "I have a piece of advice for you. When things start going bad in life, dat's the time to throw in everything you have. Sure the risk is high, but you've got nothing to lose. Well, actually, you might make things worse, but that's life for ya!"

Louise opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it with resolve. "Fine," she said, "but just how do you plan for us to escape?"

"Easy!" Jessie exclaimed, holding up a familiar backpack, "We just use our special balloon."

"How did you…oh, forget it!" Louise said in frustration, "I'll never understand you, so why bother? Come on," she said, preparing to leave, "let's get out of here before they break through."

"But we're thieves!" Meowth protested, "We've got to take something for our troubles!"

"Just grab his money," Louise said hurriedly. "He's a relatively wealthy store owner, so he must have a lot of gold."

"Nah," Jessie said disinterestedly, "it's just money."

Louise froze and gaped at them. "You mean," she asked, "that you are thieves, but you don't want to steal money? How does that even fit? Don't you want to be rich?"

"We do," James said, "but money isn't true power." Seeing Louise's confusion, he continued, "We like luxury- long for it, in fact. But money can be earned almost any way, even by simply scrubbing some floors. And because of that, money washes away just as quick; we should know."

"What we want," Meowth said, "is real power, something dat's…powerful!"

"Besides," Jessie added, "that stupid crook tried to make Magikarps out of us, and we're not going to settle for just picking his pockets. Whenever you have a choice between success and revenge," she advised, "Go for the vengeance. There's always a door for success, but only a narrow window for payback."

"Let's see," Louise pondered. They did have a point, much to her chagrin. Here she was, stuck with larcenous familiars who somehow espoused morals better than she did! Well, she'd show them that they knew nothing about revenge. Her family had learned the knacks of subtle vengeance ever since the rift with the Zerbst family, and now it was time to put those skills to use. Scanning the room, she stopped at the sight of the shop's forge. Although the hearth was cool from disuse, she knew that such a large forge was the pride of a weapon's shop. "Alright, you dogs," Louise commanded, pointing at it, "we're stealing that!"

Team Rocket stared dumbly at the metal furnace before brightening with vigor. "Keen eyes, Boss!" Meowth commended her.

"Revenge is sooooo sweet!" Jessie crowed.

"Let's get to work," James sighed, ready to do the brunt of the work as usual.

They were interrupted by a light chuckle. Distinct from the pounding outside, the voice was clearly inside the room. "I have to say," the mysterious voice said, "you are the most bizarre bandits I have ever seen. And at my age, that's saying a lot!"

"Who's there?" Louise snapped, looking around nervously. At first, they thought the vendor had awakened, but a quick glance showed that he was still unconscious.

"It's coming from over dere," Meowth whispered, gesturing towards a pile of swords. On a hidden signal, the four pounced on the tub, sending the weapons flying in every direction.

"Nothing," Louise complained, still wondering how she got to be a part of this madness. "The only thing over here is this old piece of junk," she said, trying to lift up a rusted longsword.

"Hey!" the voice burst from the hilt, "I may be old, but I've still got life in me!" Screaming in panic, Louise relinquished her light grip on the sword.

"The…the sword just talked!" Meowth stammered.

"Some kind of Pokémon?" James suggested, peering curiously at it. "I've heard that Rotoms inhabit old equipment."

"Don't know what a Rotom is," the sword told him, "Just your normal, millennium-old, magical sentient sword."

"Did that old man set you up to catch intruders?" Louise asked, nervously eyeing the door, which was beginning to show wear from pounding.

"Nope," it replied, a bit miserable, "just an old relic that the keeper can barely tolerate. All I want to do is see the world, is that too much?" it ranted for a moment before sighing.

"I see you're filching the forge," it noted. "Good pick. One of the few things in here that's not a rip-off, if only because the man's too lazy to use it. Too bad though," it sighed. "Was hoping to get melted in there someday…anything to escape this boredom."

"Hey," James said, walking over to it, "life's too short to surrender to melancholy. You just have to keep moving forward!"

"Easy for you to say," the sword quipped, "you have arms and legs. Me, I need someone to carry me."

"Hmmm…." Meowth said distractedly, a paw to his chin, before he leaped up and said, "Okay, swordie, here's the deal! We can leave you here so you can be bored all you want. Or, you can come with us, and we'll fix up away for you to walk on your own."

"I was constructed millenniums ago," it said, "through the most complex magics, and you think you can solve my impossible handicaps just like that?"

"Listen," Jessie said, "impossible does not exist in the Rocket- or Zero- vocabulary. Got that?"

The weapon abruptly fell silent, studying the team with hidden scrutiny. Finally, it said, almost awed, "A user? No…three users?"

"Users?" Louise asked, baffled.

"So you don't know your true powers, huh?" the sword commented, enthusiasm returning to its voice. "Okay, you have a deal! And the name's Derflinger!"

Kirche sighed in exhaustion as she peeked out from the alleyway to spy on her quarry. After James' most gallant gesture the night before, she could not resist visiting the following morning. Not only could she acquire the intimacy sadly lost in their earlier encounter, she could rub the affair right in the face of that close-minded Valliere. Another triumph in the age-old rivalry between the families. Unlike Louise though, Kirche had no concern about the stakes of their quarrel. The Zerbst family already had the lead, so they could afford quiet mercies. Plus, the Zerbst family was Germanian, and they took pride in their free roots. Those Vallieres just did not grasp that the Zerbst family did not actually care about the little feud they had instigated, nor did they have any interest in fueling it. If a Valliere was told that, he would have whipped the mad speaker. But the truth of the matter was that the only reason the fight continued was because those silly Vallieres kept charging at them like enraged bulls. And while the Zerbst might not have an active interest in the strife, they always found the ensuing fumbles highly amusing, so they chose to let the sport continue.

Bubbling with excitement, Kirche had swung open the door, ready to pounce. However, her hopes were dashed, as the room was utterly vacant. Not to be deterred from love though, Kirche had quickly scanned for clues and, with the swiftness of a fox on the hunt, had determined that Louise had fled the scene with her familiars, obviously trying to step between Kirche and true love. She had remained confident that she could catch up with them though, as she recruited the assistance of her friend Tabitha- along with her dragon.

However, she wasn't prepared for that miniature airship they pulled out. Another mystery about her lover that had yet to be solved. Kirche had thought that it was the work of Windstones at first, but Tabitha had assured her that no Wind magic was present; with Tabitha being a walking encyclopedia, with even more cunning hidden deep, Kirche had submitted to her expertise. The more immediate dilemma was how to continue pursuit. After one too many close calls- with the draconic Sylphid diving into clouds to evade detection- Tabitha, ignoring Kirche's objections, had pulled back to a much slower approach; friends aside, she was not going to risk losing one of her precious books.

Nevertheless, they had reached Tristainia eventually, and had managed to track down the elusive targets. However, they now faced a new problem. Kirche had been eyeing the store that Zero had disappeared into, only to be suddenly dragged further back into the alleyway by Tabitha. She'd been about to protest when she heard the pounding of footsteps. Within minutes, the building had been surrounded by the entire militia in the town. And from their look, it appeared that they were raring for a fight.

"Oh, Zero," Kirche sighed dramatically, "what did you do now? You certainly are becoming a (in) famous mage though." Turning to Tabitha, she asked, "Any chance we can do anything?"

Tabitha replied, "Wait. We attack when capture complete. I lead." Kirche nodded in agreement. She did not know much about Tabitha's past, but she knew with certainty that Tabitha could defeat anyone in the Academy- even the professors- with the right motivation. Not simply due to her power, although she was a highly skilled mage in her own respect. She was a hardened warrior, and people underestimated her at their peril. Peering back at the imminent arrest, Kirche and Tabitha sat and waited, ready for anything.

Or so they thought. The sudden burst of black smoke across the city square was a surprise to them- and to the soldiers too, by the sounds of confusion. Amidst her coughs, Kirche froze in realization. "Duel," Tabitha noted. Kirche nodded. The strange familiars were quite adept at creating smokescreens. Her Darling must be launching a bold escape from his unjust accusers.

Sure enough, she heard the voice of his wannabe buxom partner declare, "Team Zero, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Louise's voice cut in, "let's kick into flight!" Their voices were replaced with what Kirche recognized as the whir of machines of some sort. She had little time to focus on the noises though, as she was suddenly lifted up by gentle yet firm claws. Sylphid, she realized, had come to their rescue, and was carrying them away from danger. However, the surge of relief was cut off as Sylphid began to sway erratically, caught in an updraft. Kirche faintly made out of metal opening amidst the smoke, and then everything went black.

"Here's to a successful heist!" Meowth cheered, raising his cup in toast. After fleeing Tristainia, they had landed in the woods outside the Academy to examine their newly-gained goods.

"Cheers!" James and Jessie agreed, beaming in pride. At long last, Team Rocket- well, Zero now- had finally gotten away with a scheme.

"Here's to the smashing debut of Team Zero!" Jessie declared, adding her own toast.

"And to our new Boss," James said, "who made all of this possible…" He abruptly broke off and looked around. "Where is she?" he asked.

"I think she wandered off again," Meowth noted despondently.

"We need to do something," James said. "It's not good for a team when its Boss is depressed."

"True," Jessie agreed. Turning to Meowth, she asked, "How is our little surprise coming along?"

"Just about ready," Meowth told her, "but I thought we were gonna show her when we got back to the school."

"We were," Jessie said, "but we might as well give the present to her now to cheer her up. You go grab Derf, while we tell her the good news."

"Got it!" Meowth replied, dashing off.

Heading towards Louise alongside Jessie, James said, "Boss, are you alright?"

Barely acknowledging their presence, Louise continued to beat her head against the side of the balloon in despair. "I'm ruined," she dully noted in a mantra, "disgraced. And…" she added, suddenly lashing out to kick the two hapless Rockets, "You're the ones who dragged me into larceny!"

"Take it easy, Boss," James said. "Even if you were opposed to crime…"

"I still am," Louise interrupted.

"We have a little gift to make it up to you," James continued, nodding to Jessie.

"We may not have snagged much from the shop," Jessie told Louise, "but we've decided to give you the main spoils."

"You mean the hearth?" Louise asked.

"Not that!" Jessie said, "The sword! It's the perfect weapon for you to learn new attacks with. Plus, now you have a starter."

"A starter?" Louise said, confused.

James gave Louise the empty ball from before. "You see," he said, "where we come from, people train their familiars to battle for them."

"Like in that battle against Guiche," Louise realized. She gazed down at the ball in newfound hope. "You really mean…"

"Of course," Jessie said. "we may not be the best equipped for that, so we were going to find a new one for you. Nothing to worry about now, though."

"What do you mean?" Louise asked, still confused.

Jessie opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by violent shaking from the basket. "James?" Jessie asked, turning to him. "What's that?"

"It seems to be coming from the Aerial Backup Catcher."

"The what?" Jessie repeated, dumbfounded.

Sighing, James said, "The ABC system."

"Oh," Jessie said, "right. That worthless machine that cost us an arm to obtain and a leg to stitch to the balloon."

"It was a good idea!" James protested. "The Twerps' Flying types always sink our balloon. With this automatic system, we would have turned the tables on them!"

"Would have," Jessie retorted, "but now we'll never know, since we're stuck here with no annoying Twerps to capture…wait!" she exclaimed. "Then what did we catch?"

"Let's have a look," James said, opening the hatch, only to recoil in horror at what he saw. Out tumbled a familiar pair of blue-head and redhead girls, as well as their dizzy reptiles.

Spotting the dazed Flame, Jessie concluded, "I can't believe it James. You just pulled off a successful steal! And grabbing the dragon too! That's a considerable accomplishment. Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked, oblivious to James' growing panic. "Though you could have left their trainers behind."

"Excuse me," Louise butted in, anger clouding her face, "what is going on here?"

"Er, we caught another familiar- or two- for you, Boss," Jessie replied. "Looks like you can take your pick of the litter."

Regaining her senses gradually, Kirche slowly got to her feet, followed by Tabitha. "So, Zero," she noted, pulling her body in suggestively, "trying to turn the tables on the feud? You're welcome to have me, but you really don't need to drag Tabitha into this. Isn't that right, Tabitha?" Tabitha ignored the conversation, having returned to her book now that they were in the daylight.

"What is the meaning of this, Zerbst?" Louise demanded, hands on hips.

"Why, I had just stopped by to visit my darling this morning," Kirche replied casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you had stolen away to town. And on a school day, no less. Though my greatest shock was that you had larcenous intentions," she commented, letting the barb sink in. "Not that I mind, of course. We Germanians are much more tolerant than the rest of you Halkeginians. It's good to see that you're widening your prospects."

"That was an accident, you outrageous Germanian!" Louise yelled back. "And I'll face the consequences once we…wait," she said slowly, just beginning to grasp the entirety of Kirche's statement, "what 'darling'?"

"Yes, what?" Jessie agreed, confused.

"Why, my sweet James, of course!" she gushed. Before anyone had time to react, she had slid effortlessly past Jessie into James' arms.

"Er…" James was sweating profusely, even more than the earlier encounter; with Jessie glaring daggers at him now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Familiar," Louise called out furiously, "stay away from that depraved woman. And that's an order!"

James prepared to move away, but was caught by Kirche. "Don't listen to her," she advised him, "Tristainian women like Louise are all jealous, impatient, miserly, and snobbish, and nothing can change them!"

"You…may have a point there," he conceded, increasing Louise's ire tenfold.

"But don't worry," Meowth said reassuringly, "We'll fix the Boss up, you can count on us!"

Driven to the limits of her patience, Louise countered, "Oh, how…amusing. Women like you are all romantic-minded idiots! Did you hook up with too many guys back in Germania, making nobody trust you, and ending up dropping out and running all the way here to Tristain?"

Tabitha frowned from behind her book, but kept her silence. Kirche darkened in righteous anger, but paused when James, firmly holding her hand comfortingly, spoke in an angry voice, "Louise, this has gone too far. Love is a tragedy that should never be treated as a comedy. And a troubling past is just as bad a jest. Nobody likes their past being shoved at them. Now, apologize to her for your rude remarks." Memories of leaving his home behind and starting over from scratch flashed through his mind.

"I…" Louise stammered, caught aback by James' sudden reversal. She turned to her other familiars for aid, but found them giving her condemning looks as well. If there was one thing that Team Rocket held in common, it was a bitter past, one that they did not find humorous.

"Boss," Meowth said, equally determined, "we may put up with a lot of misdeeds. But tearing into a person's past is something even we don't do." He turned to Jessie as the three Rockets shared a look in brief remembrance of heartbreak.

"That's right," Jessie agreed. "Love…hurts. Same with the past. And making fun of them makes them hurt even worse."

"Hard pasts," Tabitha said, "always hurt." Having said her piece, she returned to her novel, hoping to forget about her own past.

"I'm…sorry," Louise finally said, before adding, "but our rivalry still stands, Zerbst! The Valliere name will be upheld!"

"We'll see," Kirche replied with confidence. "So far, the Zerbst-Valliere score is 1-0." Despite her high spirits, she still whispered, "Thanks," to James in gratitude.

"You're welcome," he said, squeamishness currently forgotten, "Barbs like those hurt a lot."

"So, what is this all about anyways?" Jessie asked, trying to change the subject; she did not like how James seemed to be lightening up to that Gorebyss.

Louise nodded, glad that she could finally explain why her familiars could not associate with that…hussy! "My house, the Valliere, has estates on Germania's borders, so we're the first on the field against them as soon as a war starts. Even worse, Kirche's home is right across the border from us."

"She means," Kirche told James, "that we're the first to be attacked whenever Tristain gets too worked up over silly little dalliances."

"Stealing the crown is not silly," Louise protested, before deciding to drop the matter; she'd almost lost track of her argument. "Moving on," she continued, "that makes the Zerbst family our sworn enemy."

"Wow," Meowth noted, "They must be pretty strong to keep you feuding for dat long."

Annoyed, Louise said, "Just a low, unworthy family obsessed with hedonistic pursuits. Kirche's great-great-grandfather stole my great-great-grandfather's fiancée away."

"That sounds like an awfully long time ago," James noted.

"It's not just that!" Louise shot back. "We've lost count on how many family ancestors we've lost to their wretched lust."

"We hardly need to lift a finger," Kirche sniffed. "True love conquers all in the end. It just happens that we pay enough attention to that spirit for its blessings."

"Oh, don't get me started on your barbarian customs," Louise moaned. "Anyways, that's why Kirche is forbidden."

James was still pondering what to say when Jessie stepped forward. "Sorry, Boss," she said, "but I'm going to have to break your old tradition of rivalry.

"What?" Louise spat out in shock.

"Listen here," Jessie said, turning to Kirche, "I give no concern to some antiquated rivalry, especially when the two are hopelessly outmatched. I will be your rival! Therefore, I am the one who will forbid you from James."

"That's up to James, though, isn't it?" Kirche replied with a smile. "After all, cannot a young, budding man find love?"

"James is a member of Team Rocket first and foremost," Jessie countered, "man second, lover zillionth! But," she conceded, "I suppose it's up to him. So what will it be, James?" she asked with a deceptively sweet smile.

"Um…" Caught in a dangerous dilemma of femininity, James struggled to answer before a solution came to him: "Why don't you settle this with a battle?"

"Absolutely not!" The two women turned away from James and back to Louise, who was stamping her foot in frustration. "I've had just enough of this trouble you familiars just seem to generate," she told them, "so forget about this and pack up to return to the Academy. I won't have any more dalliances with that Zerbst harlot."

Annoyed at Louise's stubborn resistance, Kirche prepared to launch a sarcastic quip, but changed her mind on seeing Jessie's face, which was both annoyed and determined. _This will be interesting,_ she thought, letting Jessie take the lead. "If you want to force the issue, Boss," Jessie said, her anger clouding the usual respect, "then you can fight me too."

"What?" Louise exclaimed, caught aback by the turn of events. "Uh, Jess, are ya sure about this?" Meowth asked, worried about the notion of fighting one's own boss.

"I am!" she snapped. "And if you don't want to fight me too, then you'd better shut up!"

"But I can't fight!" Louise protested. "I don't have anything to send out, not unless you want to," she commanded, turning to Meowth.

"No thanks," Meowth replied sheepishly, "but there's something else you can use!" With that, he held out Derflinger for her to pick up.

The sword still looked worn down, but now had a new shine to it. Metal plates of strange origin now covered the scabbard, seemingly arranged for some unknown purpose. "O…kay," she said hesitantly, trying to heft the deceptively heavy weapon up, "but I thought that this was going to be like the duel with Guiche."

"Oh!" Meowth exclaimed. "I guess dat dose two silly humans forgot to tell what Meowth did to this little baby! This has to be one of Team Rocket's greatest technical achievements!" he gushed, tears running dramatically down his cheeks.

"Then explain already!" she demanded in frustration.

"Okay, okay!" Meowth said, drawing up a paw defensively. "We thought dat since you didn't really have a Pokemon to fight for ya, we'd make one for ya!"

"Wait," Louise paused in remembrance, "you promised to make the sword able to move on its own, didn't you? Is that what you're talking about?"

"It sure is, partner!" the sword spoke. "I still can't believe my senses, but it's true. Six thousand years…and it took you just six minutes to give me a body! How is that even possible?"

"There's nothing Team Rocket can't build!" Meowth boasted proudly. "So don't worry. Just throw that blade out in battle, and it will transform into one of several creatures."

"What are they?" she asked.

"Well," Meowth admitted, "we haven't had enough time to add all the extra modes, so we just went for the ultimate mode first. When Derf transforms, he'll become the strongest Pokémon in the whole wide world!"

"I guess this is a pretty nice gift then," Louise conceded, anger fading away.

"Not for just that reason though," Meowth pointed out. "It'll also serve as a great weapon for your training. Ain't dat right, Derf?"

"She's a little stout, and not the prettiest chick in the woods," Derf noted, ignoring Louise's huff of indignation, "but I guess that means she won't mind getting dirty. Besides, there's something familiar about her that tells me she'll go far. Although I get a stronger feeling from you," he told Meowth. "Any chance you'd take me up instead?"

"Sorry," Meowth said, "I prefer to stay to the sidelines. I'll just cheer you guys on while I save my own hide."

"That's what you think."

"Huh?" Meowth turned to Jessie in panic.

"In case you've forgotten, Meowth," Jessie said, "this is a double battle, so I need someone to fight alongside Arbok. Obviously I can't use James', not when that showoff has her hold on him," she said, turning to glare at the two, "so I'll just have to find another Pokémon."

Seeing Jessie's expectant eyes, Meowth knew just who she had in mind. "You…you could always use Wobbuffet," he protested.

"True," she said, "but the day I can count on Wobbuffet to do things right is the end of the world. And besides, you did so well last time, so why not?"

"Er…okay!" he sighed, gut cold. He still had no idea what had happened during that battle, and now Jessie expected him to use the same trick again. "Ya know," he noted absently, "what I wouldn't do for a Thunderbolt right now."

"This will be a double battle," James announced. "Each side may use two fighters to battle. On this end," he said, "is Jessie."

Smirking confidently, Jessie commented, "Winner Jessie, if you must."

"On the other end," he said, "are Kirche and Louise."

Like Jessie, Kirche had a determined look on her face. Louise on the other hand kept darting her eyes elsewhere, obviously displeased at the turn of events. "So nice of you to help me," Kirche smiled. "You Vallieres are always so helpful to us Zerbsts."

"Hmph!" Louise pouted. "Not like I have much choice in the matter. Stupid, irresponsible familiars!"

"You know," Kirche noted, "my offer to take them- some of them, at least- off your hands still stands."

"Don't drag that argument up again!" Louise spoke in aggravation. "That's what started this whole mess in the first place! Look," she finally said, "let's just cooperate this once. And don't get in my way!"

"But of course," Kirche replied amiably, "what's wrong with another joining of the Valliere and Zerbst families?"

"You…"

"Can we get started already?" Jessie demanded impatiently, glaring at the two before transferring her gaze to James.

"Okay, okay!" James said hurriedly, "the battle is over when both fighters on one side are unable to battle. Let the match begin!"

"Heh," Jessie said, "now you'll see what it's like to mess with a Rocket. Arbok, get in there!" With a flash of light, Arbok joined Meowth on the battlefield.

Head jerking slightly to the left, Kirche signaled to Flame, who lumbered over with a confident stride. Struggling yet managing to lift up the bulky sword, Louise hurled Derflinger in the fray, yelling, "Transform!" She watched in fascination as the metal pieces shifted in midair, waiting for her ultimate familiar to appear. However, she kept waiting and waiting. Long after the sword had settled into another solid form: that of a small rodent. "THIS is the ultimate form?" she gaped, shooting daggers through her eyes at Meowth.

Huddling behind Arbok, Meowth protested, "Well, we designed that transformation after the most dangerous Pokémon to ever grace the universe, so it's gotta be the ultimate form."

"A cat like you scared of a tiny mouse?" Louise jeered. "A seagull could eat that thing for lunch."

"Hey!" Meowth yelled. "No insulting the Pikachu. It is the mascot of the series, and our personal bane."

"Don't tell me you're still stuck on that obsession," Louise sighed, staring plaintively up into the sky. "Oh Founder, what did I ever do to be cursed with these familiars?"

"Don't worry, Zero," Kirche said, "Flame can handle those two on his own. Isn't that right, Flame?" Flame nodded, and spat a shot of fire straight at the challengers. Jessie blanched, her high spirits evaporating with the heat.

To her shock though, Meowth charged headlong into the fire. Had he gone mad? Kirche smirked with triumph, but froze when Meowth burst from the fire directly in front of Flame, holding a bright piece of paper in front of him. In a few brief moments, Flame was tied and bagged. "Meowth," Jessie asked, "what did you do?"

Giving a paw's up to her, he replied, "See, Jess? I told ya, we just needed a little more time to make the flame-proof gear."

"Ah," Jessie said in realization, "good. Keep up the good work."

"That's not in the rules," Kirche said, becoming frustrated with her new self-proclaimed rival.

"She's right!" Louise agreed, inwardly huffing at having to support her sworn enemy.

"All's fair in love and battle," Jessie crowed, "except with Rockets, where nothing's fair. Okay, Meowth," she said, "you've done your job. Now, Arbok, knock out that Pikachu facsimile." Louise closed her eyes, unable to look at Arbok lunged at Derflinger, intending to swallow it in one gulp.

The inevitable sound never came though, only gasps of disbelief. Slowly and tentatively, Louise opened her eyes to behold an extraordinary sight. Derflinger was darting all around Arbok, dancing with joy and vigor. "This is great!" he yelled enthusiastically. "For eons I have been the blade that others carry and swing. Now…I can…strike!" Lashing out with his lightning-shaped blade-tail, he sliced at Arbok, leaving bruises across its body and forcing it back.

Jessie stared in horror, but regained her wits and yelled, "Come on, Arbok! Don't let that tin sword beat you around. And get back here, Meowth!"

Meowth froze midstep, having begun to quietly sneak away. He knew for a certainty that a Pikachu, no matter the situation, spelled utter defeat. Sighing at the hopelessness, Meowth said, "Oh well. Can't be said that Team Rocket don't give a fight," drawing out one of the spears. His morose attitude faded as runes began to shine once more across him, and he leapt forward to fight. It was not so much confidence but rather simply the exhilaration of battle driving him forward.

However, the spear met equal resistance with Derflinger's tail-blade, the two swords crossing blades before each fighter jumped back to recover. "Now, this is what I've been waiting for!" Derflinger boomed with excitement. "I sure chose right coming with you guys. I haven't felt this alive for so long. Now, show me your inner strength!"

Jessie prepared to send Arbok in for another go; if Meowth could keep that Pikachu-turned sword in one place, Arbok could crush the thing to bits. However, she took note of her current opponent, and instead yelled, "Stop!" The two were in the middle of charging when they heard her, and face-faulted to the ground.

"Now what?" Louise asked, fed up with the day's madness.

"Look," Jessie said, "it's clear that the battle is no longer between the true rivals of this duel, so might as well call it off."

"So you forfeit then?" Kirche inquired, turning a lustful eye to James.

"Absolutely not!" Jessie yelled.

"Oh, that's fine," Kirche shrugged, "a draw then. Well then, I'll get back to seeing my darling."

"Yes," Jessie said disinterestedly, "a draw's fine…Wait!" she screamed. "Who said that you could be with James?"

"Well," Kirche replied, "since the duel was a draw, then nothing has changed. So," she asked James, "Care to come to my room after we return to the Academy.

Before James could answer, Jessie butted in, "No time for that now! We finally have some metals to work with, so let's start on a mech."

"Yeah!" Meowth agreed. "We can always use a little backup. And in any case, we need to start training the Boss."

"You're right," James conceded, turning an apologetic face to Kirche. "Maybe another time."

"Just drop by any time," Kirche said, smiling passionately, holding a hand out. James hesitated, but tentatively grasped the hand. He was still scared, but not as much anymore.

"Alright," Louise said, shoving between the two, "let's focus on getting back to the Academy first, along with what follows. They've probably received a warrant for my arrest by now."

"Arrest for what?" Kirche asked in seeming innocence.

"You know very well!" Louise shouted, turning to her. "The robbery?"

"I don't remember any robbery," Kirche said. "After all, we've been on a picnic together all day, isn't that right Tabitha?"

"Alibi holds," Tabitha agreed before returning to her book.

"You see," Kirche told Louise, "this is obviously a case of mistaken identity."

"Kirche…" Louise mumbled in shock, before grunting out, "Thanks. But don't think that this ends our feud!" she shot out. "We're still rivals!"

"You know," James noted, "sometimes the strongest of rivals can be the best of friends. At least, that seems to be the case with the Twerps."

"Fine," Louise sighed, holding out her hand, "Friends?"

"Friends," Kirche agreed, shaking it. However, she could not resist the urge to add, "Another steal for the Zerbst house."

"What?" Louise demanded. "It's my victory! "

"Mine!" But behind the argument there was now a slight degree of camaraderie.

"Well," Meowth observed, "Looks like those two fit together well. Any chance of doing the same, Jess?"

"Not a chance!" Jessie answered, balling her fists. "We're Rockets, not Twerps! I'll show that girl yet!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Meowth said, rolling his eyes, "but enough of this! Maybe if we hurry back, we won't get caught! I'd like to pull one over those stick-in-the-paw teachers!"

"Stick-in-the-paw?" an elderly voice spoke from beyond the bushes. "That's an interesting name. I'll have to remember that."

"O…Old Osmond!" Louise gasped in horror, watching as the headmaster slowly hobbled his way over to them.

"Ah, Miss Valliere," he greeted her, "you've certainly sent the faculty into panic today, and without any explosions; a considerable achievement."

"Headmaster," she stammered, "I can explain…"

"That can wait," he said, raising up a hand. "We have already come to a verdict as to the punishment for your actions today."

"Headmaster," Kirche said, stepping forward, "I am a party to this as well. We will all face justice."

"Yes," Tabitha agreed, standing beside her, "cannot run. Friends…protect each other."

"So true!" James said, coming forward as well, followed by the other Rockets.

"Teams never abandon their own," Jessie said. "They fight side by side until the end."

"Dat's right!" Meowth said, drawing his claws out. "So if ya want the Boss, you'll have to lock us all up!"

"No, no, no," the headmaster chuckled, "nothing as macabre as imprisonment. But all of you will have to stay behind after class the next week to make up for your delinquency."

"Huh?" the group asked in unison as they face-faulted to the ground.

"Exactly what are we being charged for?" James asked.

"Why, your absence from class today, of course," Osmond answered. "Did you really think that the Academy would miss all of you tromping off to town?"

"That's…all we're being punished for?" Louise asked in relief.

"Yes," he said, "I know that two weeks seems extreme for one day, but let this serve as a warning against wandering off without permission. We were especially worried after the news arrived from Tristainia."

"News?" Jessie asked, exchanging furtive glances with her teammates.

"Yes," he said, "apparently some band of thieves robbed a store in broad daylight. Apparently trying to exploit the confusion caused by Fouquet's presence in the area; they called themselves 'Team Fouquet'."

"Team Fouquet?" Meowth spat out indignantly. "Can't they get the name right? It's Team Ro…" The rest of Meowth's tirade was muffled as Jessie and James quickly body piled him.

"Any idea who these brigands are?" Kirche asked.

"No," he replied sorrowfully, "the main witness suffered a concussion during the thieves' escape, and can only vaguely recall their identities. A bounty has been placed on them in the capitol, but it's unlikely we'll hear from them again."

"That's good…I mean that's good we missed them!" Louise exclaimed catching herself. "Now, you said we have detention? Then let's go! Finally I can do something sane today!"

"Er…alright then," Osmond said, taken aback, "follow me."

As they began to hike back to the Academy, Louise glanced at Derflinger. Still in his Pikachu form, he leapt onto Louise's shoulder, saying "I think I'll stay this way for a while. So much to see!" Despite his small size, he still retained his bulk, and Louise almost fell to her knees with the extra weight.

"Boss!" Meowth asked in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she said, gritting her teeth and slowly regaining her balance before trudging forward. Ever since the ceremony, she had seen ridiculous, utterly hopeless people…who somehow persevered. Perhaps, then, she could as well.

This was an unsettling turn of events, a cloaked figure mused, gazing up at the moons from a room in the tower. Those fools had a lot of nerve to impersonate Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth! Even in the darkest hour, Fouquet had made sure to never follow the path of the wretched nobles, only stealing from those who looked down on others with arrogance, which would be their downfall. But this "Team Fouquet" had robbed an arms shop, the owner a commoner- wealthy certainly, but still below the Nobles. Fouquet would have to crush those brigands swiftly to maintain the desired reputation. However, the Earth-user was not that concerned with the events in Tristainia. If anything, they were pleasing, as a mad hunt was being launched in the capitol, every man hoping to catch Fouquet. Let the nobles think that the legendary thief planned to rob the capitol. There certainly were treasures available there, in the Genoa prison and in the Royal Palace. There had been plans for a raid there once, but the defenses were too great to risk it. No, he would keep to the current. Letting the melancholy drift off, Fouquet sat down on the bed, laying green hair on the soft pillows. Exams were tomorrow, and the Staff could wait another day.


	5. Episode IV: A ManMaid Catastrophe

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode IV: A Man-Maid Catastrophe

"Again!" Louise grunted in command as she was forced to endure abuse after abuse. She would complain about this being unbefitting for a noble, but she knew her argument would fail. First of all, she would be reminded that she was a noble in only name, lacking power unless she could find some beyond the limits of magic. Second, she had volunteered to the suffering for that purpose. Of course, she had never imagined that the work would be so excruciating. Part of it was that she was training in a plebian fashion rather than a noble one, forcing herself to inevitably get messy.

However, she was also having doubts as to the competency of her familiar instructors. She couldn't prove anything, of course, as it was impossible to prove that they weren't doing it like their home world did; still, there were plenty of other clues to give her a hunch. When put under interrogation, Meowth had admitted that he himself didn't know most of the attacks he was teaching Louise before changing the subject. Which probably explained why the training methods were so bizarre. There was that 'Rollout' session, where she was locked in a barrel and rolled down the biggest hill in the area. And the 'Bone Club' lesson in which she raided a graveyard, only to flee when some not-so-departed spirits took offense. And unfortunately, Louise couldn't criticize their training methods, as she grudgingly admitted that they had helped her strengthen, if only while trying to survive. And oh, how her familiars boasted of their training success, taking every step as proof of their mastery of training; to her, it just revealed how hopelessly confused they were about the process.

Today was even worse. Meowth's exercises were life-threatening, but they were usually singular tasks; once she went through it once, that was that. Instead of Meowth though, Jessie was unexpectedly her instructor for the day. Jessie had obviously not planned for this scenario, as she had little in the way of training. Her only directions were to "wrestle" with Arbok, who was hardly one to cuddle up with. She remembered seeing it crush Guiche's golem with its powerful tail, and now she was feeling the brunt of it, he body squeezing like an accordion. And besides a few brief "round breaks", she was at it nonstop. The wrestling was intensely painful, but she refused to quit. She would find strength within her, and nobody- especially stupid familiars- would get in her way.

Louise continued the futile struggle until Jessie yawned and said, "Let's call it a day, Boss. I really don't know what else to do with you."

"Then why didn't you just let Meowth teach me?" Louise asked. "After all, you ordered him to be my trainer."

"He and James are…busy today," Jessie said disgruntledly. Not wishing to discuss the matter any further, Jessie continued, "Well, I guess that's all for today then. Looks like you have the rest of the afternoon off."

Louise's eyes shined with happiness at an afternoon undisturbed by Rockets; then, though, she remembered the danger of idle Rockets. "Jessie," she asked, more tense now, "where are they?"

"Er…" Jessie fumbled, "they're around…somewhere."

"Fine," Louise said, turning to leave the field, "I'll just have to find them before they cause another crisis. But first, I'll stop in at my room and change into something nicer." Seeing a look of horror on Jessie's face, her own gleamed in triumph. "Aha!" she crowed, "So that's where those slackers are hiding!"

"They're not in there!" Jessie protested vainly, trying but failing miserably to stop Louise.

Finally reaching her room, Louise read the note on the door. "'Warning'," she read, "'do not enter. There is nothing suspicious in here. Really. So keep out!' "Well, what do you know?" Louise wryly noted. "I don't remember having that sign before. Might as well see what's inside…"

"Don't!" Jessie begged, gripping Louise's arm desperately. Planting a grin of false reassurance on her face, she added, "There is no need to panic. Everything is under control."

"We'll…see!" Louise shouted, kicking the door open. It seemed that the training had had at least some effect. Passing through the doorway, she quickly scanned the room, only to freeze in surprise. She'd promised herself not to be surprised by any of her familiars' madness, but once again she had broken that impossible vow.

Sitting on her bed, dressed in her school uniform was one of the maids, the one that seemed to follow James whenever possible. Siesta, she recalled. Siesta had begun to panic at the sudden intrusion, and was cowering in fear. "Please, sir," she begged, bowing on her knees, "do not send me to that mansion! Throw me to the streets if you must, but not to that man!"

"Siesta," Jessie said, rolling her eyes, "don't worry. It's just Louise."

"Oh!" she sighed. "I thought…"

"Would someone mind telling me exactly what is going on here?" Louise demanded.

"Well," Jessie said hesitantly, "it's a long story…"

"Just tell me already," Louise said, reclining on her bed. "With my training cancelled I'm free to listen to the whole tale, so start talking!"

"You see," Siesta stammered hesitantly, "we were cleaning today when there was a visitor to the Academy."

"A visitor?" Louise asked. "We don't get many guests. Who was it?"

"A Count Tomato or something," Jessie answered.

"Count Mott?" Louise exclaimed in surprise. Mott was quite infamous in noble circles for his bending of the general barriers between different castes of nobles. While a very distinguished title, Count was not the highest rank for nobility. For instance, her family, with her father being a Duke, outranked Mott, as did all the Dukes and Marquis in the kingdom. However, Mott was an extremely crafty individual, and had utilized his family's extensive lineage- dating back to Tristain's founding- to increase his influence. History translated to influence, and many nobles were indebted to Mott due to ancient agreements. The fact that the title of Count was so rare, with inheritance requiring direct heredity, also improved his fortunes, as it made his title all the more unique and distinguished in Tristain.

But that was not the limit to his ambitions. Mott was also rumored to use a variety of unsavory tactics to deal with those who crossed him. A vocal opponent in court might go mad, or become deathly ill. Through these machinations, Mott had essentially blackmailed his way to the top of the hierarchy. Ordinarily, such acts would be punished, but Mott was careful enough to hide his tracks. And in any case, his many connections in the court prevented anyone from deeply investigating his activities, whether his political triumphs or his other…questionable pastimes. In fact, Mott seemed to take pride in his obvious yet concealed secrets, evident in the lost history of his family. Under mysterious circumstances, with the usual rumors leaving murder as the culprit, Mott was the only living descendant of his line, whose familial records had somehow vanished with his relatives' deaths. This unsettling aura of misfortune around him helped to ensure Mott's dominance as a noble, and most preferred to give him the berth. Because of this, Mott was very powerful for a count, and was not afraid to use it.

"What was he doing here?"

"Something about Fouquet's raid in the area," Jessie said disinterestedly, eyeing the shivering Siesta, "but he found a new objective during his stay."

"What objective?" Louise asked, though she had some idea given Siesta's fear. Mott's reputation preceded him.

"He…took an interest in Siesta."

"Ah," Louise said, beginning to understand, "And as a count, he could buy the contract of anyone in the Academy staff." Siesta nodded mutely. "Well," Louise finally said, "I'll get the headmaster and we can sort this whole thing out…" She didn't care too much for Siesta, but best to take over this mess if her familiars were starting to get involved.

She barely got two feet before Siesta grasped her ankles desperately. "Please," she begged, soaking the floor with tears, "don't send me away to that place! The rumors about him…chill me to my bones. I've worked so hard to reach this job, but I doubt that Mott will give me the pay. What will happen to my family then?"

"Look," Louise said in annoyance, "if you wanted to look after your family, you should have stayed in a nice commoner job rather than skirting the line. There are plenty of jobs for commoners."

"And do you know how well they pay, or what the worker pays in turn?" Siesta asked in scorn. "I had to work hard and long to reach this position, but you nobles think nothing of work. You don't know the pride in building your own path, or the pain of having it stolen from you."

"That's not true!" Louise shot back, pain seeping into her own voice. "Look at me! What am I? Nothing but Louise the Zero. A worthless failure to my family and self. Future…there will be no future for me, other than continuing the family line."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Boss!" Jessie told her. "There's always a bright future waiting beyond the horizon. You just need to find the strength to reach it. And you're making your way towards that. So keep your spirits up, and keep fighting for you own future!"

"You're right," Louise said, sitting back on her bed. "And I suppose that you are right, Siesta. I don't know much about commoners or work. But I do know what it is like to feel helpless in the world. I just needed a push to realize that others felt that way.

"But," she said in a reprimanding tone, "if you just told me in the first place, I could have helped. Mott has a great deal of power, but he's still a Count, and my father outranks him being a Duke. Now though," she said, groaning, "Mott has a viable excuse to punish you as you tried to run away from him. It won't be long until he returns and rouses the faculty to search for you."

"Don't worry," Jessie assured her, "we found a substitute to stand in for the maid until we can solve this problem."

"Who in the world could you put in as a decoy?" Louise asked in confusion. "Especially if you want to keep this matter secret…" Slumping with revelation, she groaned, "Does this have anything to do with why my other familiars are absent?"

"Welcome to my lovely manor," Mott spoke condescendingly in address to the maid before him, eyeing her with a bit of remonstrance. He'd thought that the supple little girl would make a great steal, but apparently he hadn't examined her closely enough. At a second glance, she still looked like a lovely maiden ripe for the picking, but there was just…something about her that put him off. Perhaps it was that her breasts did not seem to press against her fabric as vividly as he previously thought, or that her arms seemed less slender and more muscular than he'd imagined. Still, a toy was a toy, and he make as much use of her as he could.

"I hope that you understand the great honor that has been bestowed upon your otherwise worthless life."

"Of course I do, Master Tomato!" the girl exclaimed. "I'll do my utmost to repay you. So what should I do first?"

"You can start by…wait," he said, "Tomato?"

"Yes," she answered casually. "I know I'm just a commoner, so I thought I'd refer to you by your full name."

"My name is Mott," he told her, a slight twitch beginning to form on his eyebrow.

"Motto, Tomato, same thing," she said amiably, "so is there anything I need to do or do you want to keep talking about tomatoes?"

Mott looked ready to argue, but slumped and handed her a brightly colored coat. "Take this and wash it," he ordered. "When you finish that, ask the other workers for further assignments. And if I hear that you slacked off, you will face dire consequences!"

"Yes, sir, Mister Tomato!" Siesta said, giving him a quick salute before dashing off. He sighed in aggravation at the commoner's impertinence, but reassured herself that she'd regret her foolishness soon enough. Pausing at a window to stare at the blue sky, he began to imagine the different ways he'd break her.

However, an insistent voice drew him away from his airy dreams. "What is it?" he demanded, glaring at the courtier.

"Forgive me, milord," the man answered dutifully, "but there is someone here to inspect the house."

"An inspector now of all times?" Mott demanded angrily. "There should not have been one for weeks!"

"I don't know sir," the messenger answered him. "All I know is that there is a noble- a high one at that- waiting impatiently at the gate to speak with the master of the house for an inspection."

"Fine, fine!" Mott said. "I'll go and see him. Maid!" he shouted down the hall. He couldn't recall the girl's name at the time, and in any case only a new arrival to his mansion would answer to the name of maid; the others now had more…impolite name. Once she arrived, panting in exhaustion while carrying his coat, he ordered, "Bring me that cloak you washed. A noble like myself should always keep a splendid attire amongst our kind; not that it matters so much with your like," he noted pointedly at the maid. The maid hurried over with the garment in question and spread it over him. "Very good," he commended her, "now wait here like a good peasant while I attend to business. He strutted off vainly, blissfully unaware of the blotch clearly visible on the cape.

The 'maid' maintained an expression of meekness until Mott left, and then let out a masculine sigh of relief. It looked like the cavalry had arrived, and at the most opportune time. The formality of the situation would only make the humiliation even greater. Still, he was finding this mission more challenging than he thought. "Why," James moaned in despair before resuming his Siesta guise, "am I always the girl? Though I guess I am cuter than Jessie, so things balance out." Not that he'd say that to her face, of course.

"I can assure you, Lord…" the page fumbled hesitantly.

"Nyasu," answered the pompously dressed man before him. He was an odd looking fellow. He wore a fine hat on his head along with a pair of glasses that were somehow darkened, giving him a mysterious feel. The noble seemed confident enough, but his stride belied his arrogance, seeming to wobble intermittently.

"Lord Nyasu," the page continued, unsure how to address the unusual figure, "I can assure you that the Count will be here to speak with you as soon as possible. It's just that we were not expecting company for a month or so…"

Nyasu dismissed the futile protest with a wave of his long-sleeved coat. "One must always keep good form and be ever ready for news from the Crown," Nyasu reminded him.

"In any case sir," the servant said, "It's just that we are used to inspectors giving notice before they arrive so that we can make the necessary formalities. If you had just let us know ahead of time…"

"That could not be done," Nyasu told him. "I have just returned from a prolonged stint as ambassador to…Sahara, and am on my way back to the Palace to report to the Queen. First though, I may as well inspect those houses that fall into my return route. It would be an affront to have to backtrack after such a long journey, wouldn't it?"

"Of course not!" the messenger said, snapping to attention as he noticed the approaching figure. "Now sire," he addressed Nyasu, "before you comes his Count Mott."

"Ah, Count Mat," Nyasu addressed the arrogant noble, "I dearly hope that you will provide an adequate welcome mat to suit your namesake."

"The name is Mott, milord," he spoke, sarcasm evident in the title 'milord'. "You are an ambassador returning from the Sahara, you say. May I see authentication of your mission?"

"You may," Nyasu said, handing a sheet to Mott.

He took a brief glance at it before furrowing his brows. "What is this?" he demanded. "This writing here is nonsense; I cannot even make out this tongue!"

"That's because dat's the Elf language," Nyasu explained patiently. "And it's coded too- for the Crown's eyes only, you got dat?"

"Of course," Mott said rapidly, returning the papers to Nyasu. He had no understanding of the Elven language, and could neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the language. However, he recognized the seal stamped at the bottom as authentic, indicating the nobility of its holder. It was odd that the seal was a different variant from the royal one, but it would be difficult to procure the Queen or Princess' seal in the barbarian land of the elves, so he could not attack him on that note. And it was still a high-ranking sigil, if an old one; he hadn't seen that stamp around since the fall of the house of Oz. It appeared that, unfortunately, the man before him was a genuine representative of the Queen.

"I apologize for this abrupt conduct, milord," Mott addressed the inspector, "but if you will come this way, I can assure you that our hospitality will be splendid for you after so many years in the mad, distant post. Our house is noted for its refined tastes, and will be more than suited to host a noble presence as yourself."

"Lead the way," 'Nyasu' said, letting a feline smirk emerge on his face.

The grin faded to panic though as his stepping stool began to rock back and forth on the steps. "Watch it, Wob," Meowth warned in a whisper, "if I falls, we're both toast!" Actually, he was surprised that they had gotten this far already with the plan. He had known for certain that the count wouldn't recognize the 'Elven' writing; it seemed that the written language here was different than home, although they could somehow understand the new script. But the official sigil was a trickier situation. It was a stroke of luck that he had not looked closer at the stamp, or else he would have seen the tiny wording for 'TRISTAIN ACADEMY OF MAGIC'. Meowth had managed to swipe one of the stamps while being lectured by the head teacher for some infraction or other, and it seemed that he'd hit the jackpot with that snipe.

Now on to Step II. Fortunately, given the visible 'coloration' on Mott's coat, Meowth could tell that Jimmy boy had already gotten started on his end. "Why, Count…Mutt, is it?"

"Mott," he replied.

"Anyways," Nyasu continued, "that's a fine coat you have there."

"Indeed," Mott agreed, preening vainly. "Solid ermine, made by the best craftsmen in all of Germania. See how it shines in the light?"

"It sure does," Nyasu commented, "especially with that unique blotch of purple on the back."

"Yes, it…what?" Mott exclaimed, tearing off his coat to stare aghast at the heavy stain.

Who could have done this? The answer became clear as a black-haired maid strolled by, singing lightly. "You!" Mott exclaimed, grabbing Siesta as she passed by. "What did you do to my glorious clothing, you scum!"

"Now Count," Nyasu told him, "there is no need to get upset with such a lovely lady."

"Lovely my foot!" he spat out. "Now," he said, facing Siesta, "what happened with the cloak?"

"I was airing it out," Siesta explained, "when some jam fell down from an upper shelf and splattered all over it."

"You were drying my clothes in the kitchen?" he demanded.

"You said that a maid should not slack her duties," Siesta reminded him, "so I thought that I should multitask. Anyways, I needed to get the stain off. So I used an old method my grandpa taught me: spread egg yolk, salt, honey, and more jam over the spot and rub until clean. Guess I didn't use enough honey," she said apologetically. "I would have used more," but we were all out of honey…"

"Fool!" Mott interrupted her, moving his hand to slap her.

However, Nyasu stopped his hand. "Is this what your household is like?" he asked scathingly. "A pestilence of violence and insanity? Show some dignity as a noble!"

"Yes, milord," Mott answered dutifully, gritting his teeth. "Maid," he addressed her, poisoned honey in his words, "please return to your duties, but be sure not to mess up next time. For now, go and fetch some wood for the fire."

Siesta nodded and headed back for the kitchen, though not before turning to Nyasu. "Thank you, Me…"

"Nyasu," he quickly interjected, "and who might be you, my lovely Bellos…flower?"

"Siesta," she answered, giving a light bow.

"Well," Nyasu chuckled, "nice meeting ya. Better run off and help your county though." Smiling- and subtly winking- Siesta dashed off.

"Now," Nyasu spoke, returning to Mott with a notepad in hand, "I want to see your entire house. I hope that things aren't as bad elsewhere."

"Of course not!" Mott responded, planting an insincere smile on his face. "But I do not wish to impede your inspection, so I will stand aside. Feel free to search, I have always been a loyal servant to the Crown."

"We'll see about dat," Nyasu replied, hobbling off.

As soon as Nyasu had passed around the corner, Mott let out his glare of frustration before hurrying over to a small, unmarked room in the manor. Knocking carefully on it, he waited for a small yet sharp-eyed man to answer. "You called, sir?" he answered.

"I want you to keep an eye on this new inspector," Mott instructed him. "Do not let him out of your sight!"

"Yes, milord," the man replied dutifully before quietly sneaking off. Mott sighed, feeling an ulcer tugging in his gullet. There was something unsettling with this new inspector. He'd managed to handle dozens of these inspections for years. A bribe or two here, a threat or two there, a drop or two elsewhere, and he emerged unscathed. But this one was different. Fresh from the Sahara- or at least that was the bastard's excuse- the inspector lacked any leverage for Mott to manipulate. And that was not the worst fear in Mott's stomach. Suppose they had finally gotten wise, and sent someone over for a closer look… But no, Mott reassured himself, he had kept his trail airtight. There was nothing left to give suspicion. And he only had to hold out a little longer. Soon, once he proved himself reliable to his new contract, those insipid officials would be taking orders from her. He just needed to calm his nerves.

With that thought in mind, he headed through the mansion to his collection of…exotic literature. They were his pride and joy, the triumph of brutish force and quick wit against stupid, inferior females. The triumphs always filled him with energy, and he might just find some ideas on how to punish that dumb maid. However, he quickly realized that said maid- Elf-cursed fool- had struck again. Mott stared in shock at his bookshelf- or at least once was once his bookshelf. All that remained was a single plank of wood and a manuscript on sheep that Mott utterly despised; why his mother thought that sheep were the superior race was still a mystery to him. But where were his good books, the ones with the much more pleasant debauchery? There was nothing left.

Mott's gaze was interrupted when Siesta sauntered in and picked up the final board, preparing to walk off with it. "Halt!" Mott ordered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Well, you see Mister Max…" Siesta explained.

"It's Mott!" he yelled furiously.

"I couldn't find that firewood anywhere in the mansion."

"Did you think to ask the stable hands?" he demanded.

"Of course not," she replied, "It's not like horses enjoy eating trees after all."

Mott placed a hand to his temple. What in the Founder's name did he ever see with that abominable maid? He'd conquered the greatest of peasants, and a few nobles at that too. He'd even subdued a whiny, arrogant Germanian whore. Yet this maid was an utter disaster. He could not even leave her for a minute without trouble, but he could not stand being around her any more than necessary. "Please explain what this has to do with my library," Mott finally rasped out.

"I knew that you wanted me to get the fire going in the fireplace," Siesta continued, "so I took what I could find. You know, the style of wood from the shelves gets this special gleam to it when it burns."

"And what about the books?" he asked fearfully. "Did they have a gleam as well?"

"Oh no!" she told him. "I would never put your books in the fire." Mott sighed in relief until she continued, "I just set them in the kitchen sink while I started the fire. I probably should check on them once I get done with the last load."

Mott ran desperately to the kitchen to rescue his beloved porn. However, he was too late. The sink was now filled to the brim with water, his books resting at the bottom. He fished them out, but saw that the water had taken its toll, washing away the words and pictures. "

Um, sir?" that horrible voice spoke from behind him. "Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

Lifting his drooped head only slightly, he said, "Just dry out these books as quick as you can. Then just get out of my sight."

"Are you sure about drying them?" she asked.

"Yes," he moaned, "just do it before the damage is permanent." Not that they weren't already destroyed beyond repair already.

"Okay," Siesta said, hauling the soggy books away. "I still think that they'd make poor burning material, but if that's what will dry them off the fastest…" Mott's head shot up in realization, but then slumped in resignation. Let the poor masterpieces burn for all he cared; they had already been ruined.

"Oh, County!" The second voice he dreaded to hear today piped up from behind him as Lord Nyasu appeared. "You said you was gonna show me your books?"

"That is…no longer possible," Mott replied gloomily. "Due to a mistake, the books have been soaked with water- and burnt," he added, sniffing the scent of the fireplace.

"Oh, that's still dandy!" Nyasu assured him. "I'm sure there's something good that I can find in your house. Say, how's that pretty maid doing?"

"She's been around," Mott answered.

"That's nice to hear. Such a nice girl. So full of energy and enthusiasm."

"She certainly is energetic," Mott muttered in poisoned honey.

"Well," Nyasu said, preparing to stroll off, "I'll be very interested to know what happens to her. Sometimes I feel sooo lonely that I cannot find anything right in an inspection. But, who knows, I might find the incentive, if ya catch my drift. Just making a little note. Toodles!" Mott continued to stare into space in despair. At least it seemed he had a means to dispose of that maid. However, he would not let her go without teaching her a lesson. The inspector would be very pleased to receive a properly broken-in toy, and Mott would take pleasure in that task.

"Run this through me again," Louise sighed while pacing in her room. "Exactly what is the plan?"

"It's a pretty simple plan, Boss," Jessie replied from Louise's bed. "James will pose as Siesta and serve Mott as a maid. But she'll play the Psyduck, botching every assignment given to her. That's when Meowth will come in. Eager to get rid of the annoyance, as well as to appease the royal inspector, Mott will be more than willing to hand her contract over to 'Nyasu'."

"Then James and Meowth will return," Siesta continued, "and I will return to Tarbes. I will have to hide my identity in the future, but there will likely be no investigation." Despite the relief at being safe, Siesta seemed distraught at the thought of leaving.

Jessie tried to appear sympathetic, but was inwardly sighing in relief. James and the maid got along very well; too well, as far as Jessie was concerned. She had enough trouble with that redhead, and she didn't need any more distractions for James. He was a Rocket, just like her. They could not afford to care about those outside their team. Not that she cared about him anyways, of course.

"Your proposal seems airtight," Louise noted.

"So that means you approve?" Jessie asked.

"No," Louise said, getting up, "it means that we're going down there to help."

"Why?" Jessie said, confused at Louise's logic.

"I don't know why," Louise told her, "but every plan of yours goes wrong at the last minute. The fact that this plan is perfect does not reassure me; it just tells me that a catastrophe is looming."

"Come on, Boss," Jessie cajoled her, "the plan's in the bag. What could go wrong?"

"This job is a cinch!" Meowth crowed, taking off his Nysasu disguise. "Nothing can go wrong now!"

"Wobbu!"

Dismissing Wobbuffet's protests, Meowth said, "Don't worry. Everything's all set. So there's nothing to worry about taking a little excursion down here. Besides, favor or not, it don't suit a team to leave without some compensation for their troubles.

"And this old joint," he noted, looking around the dark, dank cellar, "Looks like just the spot where a count would hide his precious goodies. See?" He pointed to a small and unusual indentation in the wall. Poking at it, Meowth said, "Me thinks this here's a lock, and where there's a lock, there's a safe!" Using his claws with the skill of a cat-burglar, Meowth opened the secret stash and peered in triumphantly, only to gape in shock.

"What's all dis?" Meowth exclaimed, piling the 'treasure' out where he could see it better. All that lay within were a couple of small bottles with swirling, multi-colored liquids and a large, faded book. "A book of concoctions," Meowth read aloud. Probably wine at that too, given all these barrels stacked around here. But who would stuff wine into these dinky bottles?" he asked, shaking one of the glass vials. "Looks more like something you'd fit a potion in…

"Wait," he said, turning back to the barrels with a frown. Piercing through one of the wooden shells with his claws, Meowth watched as a strange substance- certainly not wine- poured out. "Of course," Meowth said, eyes widening with understanding, "the sneaky old coot hid potions down here. And rare one's too, if he went into all the trouble of hiding them."

However, Meowth's glee turned to horror as he was that the substance leaking out spread to his pile of looted goods. Seeing the liquid eat away at the labels on the potions, Meowth swiftly grabbed what he could, managing to salvage the precious manuscript. Fortunately, the substance quickly vanished, leaving no trace of its presence behind, other than the destroyed tags on a single bottle that Meowth failed to retrieve.

"Now what do I do?" Meowth moaned. "I'm not taking dat thing with me; suppose some of dat filth seeped into it! But if dat guy sees that the label's burnt off, he'll know something up."

"Wob?" Wobbuffet asked in confusion.

"Sure," Meowth answered, "I know he'll see something's wrong down here, but guys notice broken things quicker than they notice missing things. At least, I think so."

"Wob fet buffet," Wobbuffet told him, causing Meowth to smile.

"Dat's perfect, Wob!" he said in relief. With a swift swipe, he cut a label off one of the potions in hand and carefully stuck it onto the other bottle. "There," he said, patting his paws before climbing back on to Wobbuffet, "no harm done. Now let's get out of here before someone notices us."

However, his relief dissipated as he exited the cellar. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadowy figure poking its head around the corner. "Looks like the count's a little more careful than we thought," Meowth whispered, "but we should be safe as long as we…waaah!" he cried out as one of the potions slipped through his cloak to fall on the floor with a clatter. Stomping on Wobbuffet's head, Meowth yelled, "Run like the wind, Wobbie! The jig is up! Jimmy boy will have to handle this on his own!"

Mott smirked as the maid collapsed on his bed with another bruise. She gave little reaction, almost appearing to be in shock, as if she didn't expect retribution for her actions today. He had little choice but to get rid of her now, given all the trouble she had caused in but one day. But now, things were looking up. He had not heard from the inspector for hours. Perhaps the man had left for the palace. And with him out of the way, he could begin disciplinary measures.

"Girl," Mott told her, "it is time that you learned respect for your superiors. Now, disrobe."

"Um, how much do you want me to take off?" _Siesta_ asked hesitantly.

"Imbecilic peasant!" Mott exclaimed. "Everything!"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea…"

"Insolent wrench! When I am through with you, I…I…I.." Mott gaped like a fish as he stared at the sight in front of him. He had torn away at the maid's clothing only to freeze as certain features became apparent to him- particularly the sans breasts. "What…are you?" he demanded in a hoarse voice.

A shrill feminine voice, in contrast to the features visible to him, exclaimed, "I'm just a cute little girl!" Mott's face slowly went from pale white to a crimson red.

"You dare to make a cuckold of a distinguished noble, you bastard!" he screamed, preparing to strike the supposed-maiden.

Mott screamed in agony as he was suddenly entangled and swallowed by a large mouth. Through the pain he could make out a bizarre plant. "That's it, Victreebel," James said encouragingly, "defend your master. At least I'm not the one being eaten this time.

"That's a familiar!" Mott exclaimed, yanking the overgrown plant off his head.

"Why, yes!" responded James, taking advantage of the moment. "he's my familiar."

"Ah, that is very interesting, to learn you are a noble…" Mott spoke nervously as alarm bells rang in his head. It was so obvious now: '_Siesta' _was a spy sent to unearth his dark secrets. But by who?

"Look," '_Siesta' _said, "there seems to be a mix-up with this whole business, so I probably shouldn't bother you any more with my bumbling antics. That inspector seemed interested in me, so maybe I should leave with him?"

Automatically nodding and smiling, Mott inwardly clenched his teeth as the final piece of the puzzle became clear to him. So the maid-turned man was an agent for that insipid royal inspector, eh? He should have known; there was something fishy with the whole arrangement.

"What would suffice as sufficient compensation?" asked Mott, now on his knees in tense preparation.

Confident that he now had the upper hand, James returned Victreebel and began to list his demands. "Well, you'll naturally allow…"

James' demands were cut off as Mott suddenly lunged forward. With a quick strike of the wand, James collapsed to the ground unconscious. Trembling uneasily at the extra weight, Mott hoisted the spy onto his soldiers and hobbled over to his closet. He would call a servant to do such grunt work, but he could take no further risks with this dire threat looming over him.

Depositing 'Siesta' into the closet, Mott barricaded the door and exited the chambers. Now to find that inspector. He would invite him to a late evening chat, offer a glass of his finest wine, dosed of course with his special addition, and watch the results. The scheme would be risky of course, but he needed to silence the inspector before his secrets could get out. After the head of the snake was disabled, he could return to his bedroom and adequately punish the pathetic pawn as much as he needed. First though, he needed to snag his little potion. It would be all too fitting to see that arrogant inspector be taken out by the very secret he sought to uncover.

Mott stopped dead at the foot of the stairs leading to the cellar. Standing at the top of the stairs, seemingly baffled, stood the guard he had assigned to tailing the inspector. "You fool!" Mott berated him. "You let your tasks slacken so easily?"

"I'm sorry sir!" he begged desperately. "But Lord Nysasu just ran off."

"Ran off?" Mott demanded. "What is this nonsense?"

"I don't know," the servant explained, "but I had lost the inspector- only temporarily, let me assure you- and found him emerging from an inspection of the cellar. He seemed anxious for some reason, and dropped a potion. He was carrying a bunch of files and potions in his jacket apparently. When he noticed me, he panicked for some reason and dashed off, yelling 'The jig is up!'"

Narrowing his eyes, Mott asked, a desperate inflection in his voice, "Exactly what files and vials were in his possession?"

"I don't know sir," he answered, taken aback. "I never got a chance to see them. He had a handful of each though. And over there is the potion he dropped," he said, pointing to a small bottle.

Heart pounding in foreboding, the count rushed down into the cellar. The large vats of chemicals were still present, cleverly disguised as wine barrels. Ignoring them, Mott hurried over to the safe hidden on the far wall. To his dismay, the safe was wide open, with all its contents vanished. Mott drooped, doom setting in. The inspector had likely fled the premises by now, en route to Tristainia and the Palace with news of Mott's illegal activities.

He'd always had a knack for potion construction, but had concealed his hobby behind a professed connoisseurship for wines. Given his interest in the most exotic- and forbidden- types of potions, discretion was necessary. The drugs had served him well, allowing him to silence enemies in multiple ways. He still smirked at the memory of Lord- well, now inviolate- Borlaug, who still rotted behind bars for his lecherous assault on the Queen. Interesting to see what a little aftertaste in a drink could do. He'd also found other uses for his talents of late. It seemed that others had heard of his underground reputation, and requested his services. He had done well in the preparation of the potions ordered, and had been confident that they would be ready for delivery within two weeks top.

Now though, his entire web had been broken by a wild boar, who had now escaped with the fruits of his labors.

"Sir?" the guard's voice called from above. "Is there anything you need?"

"No!" he yelled back, trying to hide his fear. "Just return to your usual duties."

Moving away from the vault, Mott stumbled over something on the ground. Peering down, Mott widened his eyes at recognition of the sigil on the potion. Perhaps there was still hope for him after all. He would still have to flee his homeland of course, but his employer would certainly be pleased when he brought the special potion. He did not know what the man wanted with such a potion, but it was obviously very critical and secret, given how he had contacted him through secret channels rather than the official ones granted to one of his position. By delivering the package to him, Mott could ensure asylum for himself while also maintaining the chance for social advancement. Even with only one of the two potions delivered, he would surely be granted protection.

He would have to move quickly though. It would be a long and treacherous route to his final destination, requiring him to pass through Gallia even after escaping Tristain. He would need something to buy some time and divert attention from his flight. Mott eyed one of the containers with potion mixtures, labeled accordingly 'Fire Salamander Tea'. Yes, such an approach would draw attention away from his departure, and ensure that he had his vengeance on at least one spy.

"Stupid, stupid familiars," Louise grumbled as she rode towards the mansion, "making trouble wherever they go."

"Come on, Partner!" Derflinger said jovially by her side, bursting with enthusiasm. "This is great! We're finally getting out and doing the stuff of legends. What better way to start our adventures than with rescuing a maiden from an evil wizard?"

"In case you've forgotten," Louise countered, "we're rescuing a maid, not a maiden, and the maid isn't even a maid; she's a man."

"Oh, don't worry," Derflinger said, "these sorts of quest usually get jumbled up like that; it isn't until the tales get widespread that people start editing it to make the story better. But the adventure is still fun; reminds me of that time Sasha had to break into that orc castle…"

"I'm still not sure this is safe," Siesta spoke hesitantly, struggling to keep her grip on the saddle.

"If you were scared," Louise said, "you should have stayed behind at the Academy, or fled to your village. Given our run of luck, things are going to explode soon, so you might as well be somewhere else."

"No," Siesta responded firmly, "James was the first noble to treat me with kindness, and I'll make sure that he does not suffer on my behalf."

"Let's not get too worried," Jessie advised halfheartedly, likewise having trouble with her mount. "I'm sure that James and Meowth couldn't have messed things up too badly."

Just then, a mysterious figure burst from around the next turn of the trail, barreling towards them. Louise stared in horror as the mysterious thing charged them. The black night cloaked its visage, but it swayed with an unnatural rhythm, and she could see claws poking out of its tattered sleeves. Sister Eleanor always told Louise about wraiths appearing at night to spirit away foolish travelers. She'd later concluded that it was yet another of her rather cruel jokes, but now she was having second thoughts. Nerves shot after a long day, Louise screamed in terror, inadvertently unleashing one of her trademark explosions.

Louise got ready to run as soon as she got to her feet, but changed her mind when the dust cleared. Atop the pile of Jessie and Siesta- the horses had stampeded off in terror, lay Meowth and Wobbuffet. "Er, hiya Boss!" Meowth exclaimed nervously once he recovered from his daze. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Meowth!" Jessie grunted from the bottom of the pile. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be helping James."

"Well," Meowth said slowly, scratching his head with embarrassment, "ya see…"

Their conversation was brought to a halt though, as they heard the clomping of hoofs approaching them. "Get to the bushes!" Louise hissed. If she was found out in these woods, she'd never live it down. They got hidden just in the nick of time for Count Mott to dash right past them, continuing on without a glance back.

"That's…Count Mott," Siesta said.

"What's he doing out here dough?" Meowth wondered.

Louise was about to interrogate Meowth when Jessie lightly tapped on her shoulder. "Boss," she said, pointing beyond the trees, "look over there."

Peering, Louise commented, "It looks like a wildfire. We had best get out of these woods quick."

"There's no trees over there," Meowth told them. "Just an open field and the…mansion!"

James awoke from a lovely dream, and absently wondered why he went from a blazing tropical beach to into some dark, indoor space. Then he felt the heat continue to lightly scald his body, and he realized that something was terribly wrong. Standing up, James saw that he seemed to be in some kind of closet. The closet was dark, but a warm light seemed to be breaking through the black. This did nothing to reassure James though, and he tried to open the door, only to find it jammed shut.

Just then, he smelled a faint scent of ash, and the puzzle came together. Knocked out. Fire. Trapped inside. Frantic, James pounded at the door until he burst free into the bedroom. The room was still in fairly good shape, but flames were beginning to emerge in the floorboards. James desperately ran to the window and opened it, letting out the billowing clouds of smoke. From the view, he could see that the entire chateau was ablaze.

Fortunately, he spotted some familiar faces approaching. Finally, reinforcements had arrived. "James!" Jessie's voice rang out below. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Jessie," he answered back. However, with a flash of panic he added, "But not for long; I need help!"

"Don't worry about it," Meowth said. He and Wobbuffet unfurled the coat previously worn by 'Lord Nyasu' and spread it into a net. "We'll catch ya! Just jump!"

James prepared to leap forward, but stepped back just as a burning pillar fell down from higher up, missing him by barely an inch. The makeshift net, on the other hand, was utterly smash and burnt. "Um…" Meowth stammered in quiet panic, "looks like we need a Plan B."

"I'll just make my way through the house," James said, turning away from the window. However, he was caught off guard by a violent shaking. The tower he was in, suffering from the fire below, had begun to collapse. Luckily, he managed to grab onto a small outcropping that still remained lodged to the wall, but he was still far too high to drop safely.

"James!" Siesta called out.

"It's okay," James assured her, trying to ignore the touch of fire on his hands, "Team Rocket is invincible, and Team Zero will never admit defeat!"

"That's right," Jessie told Siesta disdainfully, "have more faith in us." The truth was though, she was just as scared. Therefore, when the final piece of the building fell, she broke and yelled "James!" in futile desperation. As the dust cleared, no sign of James was visible. While Siesta rushed over in tears, Jessie remained frozen in her place, staring blankly at the sky. "James…" she muttered quietly, letting a silent tear slip down her face.

But her eyes turned to hope though, as she saw familiar figures in the clouds. "Look!" she pointed up to the night sky. Coming towards them was a blue dragon, with three figures on it. Two were girls, blue and redheaded. But there was another blue-head aboard, a man.

"James!" Siesta shouted in joy, watching as James stepped off the now-landed dragon.

"Thanks," James told Kirche.

"Of course!" Kirche replied. "Anything for my lover."

James was fortunately- or unfortunately- spared of that sticky subject when he suffered a sudden pound to the head. "Idiot!" Jessie ranted at him. "Do you ever think before you act?"

"It wasn't my fault…" he vainly protested, earning him another slap.

"That doesn't matter!" Jessie shot back. "Just…be more careful," she said, calming down slightly. "It's tough saving you for the team all the time."

"That's perfectly fine by me," Kirche butted in, rubbing against James. "I can handle all the rescues from now on."

"Fat chance of that!" Jessie spat out, turning her anger on her rival.

"Enough!" Louise brought them to attention. "You can fight later for all I care. Right now, let's get away from here as quick as we can. I don't know what you all did to make Mott burn down his own estate, but we had best be far away and with an alibi by the time real investigators from the Palace show up." Peering up to the moon, she added, "I just hope that that Mott doesn't cause any more trouble for us."

Mott admired the rising dawn as his horse galloped down the path. He was no longer concerned about the risk of capture, and could therefore afford to relax. Gallia was only a few hours away, and once he passed the border it would be a simple enough course to head through it to reach his destination. Sure, he could run afoul with the Gallian forces, but he was savvy enough to know how to silence questions with a few gifts. As long as he lost the Tristainian troops that were certainly after him, there would be nothing to worry about.

He drew his horse to a halt as he sighted a procession ahead of him. Although he tensed in trepidation at first, he shook himself of his fear. The royal forces could not have caught up to him yet; even if an alert had already been sent out, they had no idea of where he was going. Likely it was merely some fellow nobles out on an evening jaunt. He would deal with the formalities and then continue with none the wiser.

However, his eyes widened in recognition as the procession approached. Four golden-helmeted horses gracefully pulled an elegant carriage, adorned with many intricate sculptures, down the trail the opposite way of Mott's path. Mott cursed to himself as his doom became clearer and clearer. He knew the formation well enough as is, but more and more signs appeared as the two parties closed in on each other. The stallions were in fact unicorns. Likewise, the central artwork on the carriage depicted a unicorn with a crystal staff. The Tristainian symbol of royalty. And then, the coup de grace- a dainty head poked out of the side curtain to reveal a demure girl- Princess Henrietta.

Mott paled as he realized what must have happened. The spy had fled to the royal forces, which were now on the way to arrest him. It was Elf-cursed luck that he stumbled onto them here of all places; he had assumed that they would come southward from Tristainia. Now that he had walked right in their clutches though, his fate was sealed. The path brimmed with the Magic Imperial Guards as they escorted the royal carriage. Any of the guards would be a tough match for Mott; a dozen or more would overwhelm him for sure. Mott steeled himself. He could not be captured. He couldn't. A person in the position of his employer could not afford to have his involvement with the affair, and would likely terminate his connection. Of course, he could testify for protection, but who would believe him. Likely they would burn him as a deluded heretic. Wasn't that ironic.

The procession came to a halt at recognition of Count Mott, and the soldiers drew to the sides to allow the princess and cardinal forward to greet him. Mott smirked. Their confidence in capturing him must have lowered their guard. A decisive attack, and he could break through to Gallia. The tiny princess opened her mouth to speak- likely a call for him to surrender. Mott ignored her words and began to chant a spell. Cardinal Mazzarin stiffened in recognition of the spell and gave rapid orders to the guards, but it was too late.

A torrent of water rushed at the princess. She was probably deeply involved in the investigation, and Mott could buy himself time if he took her out. In any case, the girl was only a child, so she was a sitting target. At least, so it seemed. He soon regretted his mistake though, as Henrietta quickly unleashed a water spell of her own, one that was able to annihilate his own attack into mere mist. Tensing in hatred now- did those fools forget they were trying to arrest him?- the guards drew their weapons for battle. Still, the attack had served its purpose, as the guards swarmed around the princess protectively, opening a gap for him to sneak by. Kicking his horse forward, Mott charged the amassed forces, hoping to break through to freedom. Caught by surprise, the line crumbled against Mott, clearing the way for him.

However, his horse was unexpectedly rammed as a unicorn, having broken free of the harness, dove at the man who launched the unprovoked assault. Mott struggled to stay on his horse, but fell to the ground. Glancing behind to see the approaching mages, Mott stared despondently at the rising sun on the horizon. The power…so close yet so far away…

_Wait! _Mott froze in revelation, and with painful struggle withdrew the potion from his pouch. His employer would be upset that he used the potion prematurely, but he could always make another later. For now, this might just give him the necessary edge. Mott swallowed the entire drink in one gulp, and waited for the Titan Potion to kick in.

To his surprise though, the potion seemed…different than he anticipated. He almost felt a tint of holly… Mott stiffed in realization at just what he had swallowed. _Not the Potion of Lost Heart! How in the Founder's name did that get mixed up with his masterpiece? _Mott felt the world spin around him as the mind-numbing effects of the potion gradually pushed deeper and deeper. _That stupid, conviving false-maid! I'll get you Siesta, you man-mai…mayday, mayday, lalalala, happy happy maid. And how are you this morning, Mott? Sorry I drank you. Don't worry, your maid will look after you._

"Well, it looks like Mott got his just deserts," James happily noted to Louise as the team ate lunch.

"I'm just glad that we're in the clear," Louise whispered back, "so keep quiet about this whole mess."

Team Zero had already forged a cancellation of Mott's purchase of the contract, so Siesta was able to return to working at the Academy with no trouble. Still, they had all kept an ear out for any new of Count Mott. Finally, word reached the Academy that Mott had somehow attacked the Princess of Tristain. In the process, he had lost his mind, and was currently locked away in a secure facility. The palace was investigating the entire matter, but the burning of Mott's estate and his subsequent breakdown prevented them from unraveling the truth of the matter, much to the silent relief of Team Zero.

"You sure we can't collect a reward for sending the Count their way?" Meowth asked.

"Not if you don't want them to learn about our activities," Louise said warningly. Stepping out of her chair to exit, she added, "Let's just forget this ever happened and leave it at that."

As Louise departed, James turned to Meowth. "What did you do with those items you stole?" he asked curiously.

"Oh," Meowth replied, "I just stashed them away somewhere safe in the Academy. Best to not bring up our newly earned goods until she's gotten over this fiasco."

"A good idea," James agreed. "Now we'd better get going; Siesta will be expecting us to help with the cleanup in a few minutes."

"Maybe they'll have some leftovers," Meowth said, all thoughts of the incident fading away as they rushed off.

Hidden beneath the tiles in Louise's room, a potion continued to swirl with dark power, waiting to be opened.


	6. Episode V: The Show Must Golem

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode V: The Show Must Golem

Tristain Academy, built according to the elaborate demands of nobility, was much more extensive than one would expect in a school. Besides the classrooms and dormitories, there were dozens of dozens of extra rooms, ranging from kitchens to closets. Normally, these closets were of no interest to any at the academy. They only served to store things that people really didn't care for and forgot after depositing them. However, their anonymity and seclusion from school life made them perfect locations for impromptu meetings.

"I tell ya," Meowth's voice broke through the darkness, "it's the perfect place for a secret base."

"I don't know," James said hesitantly. "It almost feels unethical- for a thief's code, I mean. Just doesn't seem like what a crook usually does. It's like having your base in a prison."

"My point exactly," Meowth countered. "This team is built to surprise the unsuspecting, so nobody will anticipate our move. Besides, the best part of the deal is that the defenses are already installed."

"Except those defenses will keep us from getting in in the first place," Jessie said.

"Don't worry," Meowth reassured her, "I listened in on an interesting conversation that revealed a special flaw in the system, one we are at: tunneling.

"Who else knows about this?" James asked.

"Just the Professor and a secretary," Meowth said dismissively. "Nobody to be concerned about. The thing is, we'll have to be careful if we want to keep this a surprise for the Boss…"

Their conversation was sent to an abrupt halt as a powerful explosion engulfed them. As the dust faded, they stared out of the now light-filled and broken closet to see their leader glaring at them." "There you are!" she said, hands on hips in anger. "I've been looking all over for you three. Now, stop this lollygagging; we have work to do, and only a day to get things perfect."

"Perfect for what?" James asked.

"Don't you peasants know anything?" she said. "Tomorrow is the Day of the Void."

"Day of the Void?" Meowth asked, baffled. "What's dat? Some kind of eclipse?"

"Idiot!" Jessie shouted, pounding him to the floor. "Any shopper knows that the Day of the Void is only the biggest retail sale of the year."

"No, no, no!" Louise screamed in frustration. "It is a special celebration in honor of the Founder Brimir and his mastery of the Void."

"Brimir?" Jessie asked. "Was he a Master or Champion or something?"

"Indeed," Louise answered. "It was through his valiant efforts that Halkeginia was made into what it is today, so it is only right that we give honor to his glory."

"I don't see what this has to do with us," James commented.

"The point," Louise explained, "is that the Academy uses that day for the annual exhibition of the familiars we summoned. And it's mandatory for second-years!" Sensing where this was going, James gently put a hand on her shoulder in comfort, only to be swatted away. Failing to hide her tears, Louise sobbed, "I'll just be humiliated again. Like always, I can do nothing but go forward and be shown to be the Zero I really am."

Nodding in sync, the three Rocket embraced her in a hug. This time, she did not protest. "Don't worry Boss," James said, "we won't let you down."

"Dat's right," Meowth said, "Ya can't give up. If you have to face humiliation, then go out with a bang! What do you have to lose?"

"We'll get to work right away," Jessie reassured her, "though it would have been nicer if you told us sooner."

Louise gave a faint smile before realization and anger shot through her. "You impertinent peasants!" she yelled, brandishing a whip, "It's a wonder I can ever keep you three under control. Now get to work!"

"Yes ma'am!" they said, saluting before dashing off.

"So what's the plan?" Meowth asked Jessie.

"You just told us," Jessie replied.

"Of course!" James exclaimed in comprehension. "When we show off our new secret base, we'll be the most infamous familiars in the school and the world!"

It was the Day of the Void, and the students were lined up for the opening ceremony. The Day of the Void was one of the most sacred days in Halkeginia, and the Academy was sparing no expense with the festivities. Even though the royal visit had been cancelled since that assassination attempt, spirits were high. Still, there were a few people with emotions contrary to the usual hope. Miss Longueville had accepted the extra work readily, but seemed almost impatient for something. Now that it was time for the ceremony, she had excused herself, saying that the chores had exhausted her. Osmond had let her depart for a long rest, although not before taking a poke at her behind. Longueville had kept the illusion of fatigue as she staggered back to her quarters, but her crafty eyes betrayed her hidden strength within. As she passed by the vault, her eyes darted towards it, each gleaming in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Louise's eyes were likewise darting back and forth with vigor. Instead of excitement though, they reflected distress. Where were her stupid familiars? She was technically supposed to be at the opening, but the introduction shifted straight to the competition, and she needed her performers. But, as usual, they had disappeared from her sight. In fact, she hadn't seen any of them since speaking with them yesterday. She had no doubt that they had kept their word, and were preparing at this very moment. One of her familiars' by the few positive qualities was their dedication to her. Unfortunately, their loyalty was compounded by their lack of any sense. Like the fact that it might be important to coordinate their act with her, rather than running off somewhere else.

Fortunately, Louise saw her luck pick up as two small figures rounded the corner in front of her. "That should be the last of it," Meowth said to Wobbuffet in exhaustion as he hauled a pile of dirt and rubble over his head.

"It certainly is the last straw," a girl's voice spoke from above him.

He looked up to see Louise staring down imperiously. "B…boss!" Meowth exclaimed, dropping his load in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Performing in the exhibition," Louise answered. "At least, I should be. Instead, I am stuck trying to catch my stupid familiars who ran off without telling me. Now, where are those other two?" she demanded.

"Well," Meowth said sheepishly, "we'd come up with a big surprise for the show, one that would show who's the true boss of the school. The thing is…it's taking a little longer than we hoped. Jessie and James are still down there making renovations. We should be ready in an hour though."

"I'm on in fifteen minutes," Louise said, dragging the two Pokemon away, "and if I can't show off all my familiars, at least I'll show some of them. In any case, you're the most normal-looking of them, so you'll do just fine."

"Hold on!" Meowth protested in vain as he was carried away. He tried to grasp the walls with his claws, leaving heavy gouges down the halls. However, Louise's training had made her surprisingly strong, and she lugged him and Wobbuffet along with no difficulty. "What do you expect me to do?"

"Something that doesn't embarrass me further," Louise grunted, having arrived at the show in the nick of time. "Now get in there!" With that, she hurled the two onto the open stage.

Slowly squeezing out from under Wobbuffet's body, Meowth stared mutely at the waiting audience. "Er, hiya folks!" Meowth said, sweating nervously. "What a crowd! But don't worry, Meowth and Wobbuffet are here to amaze ya!"

"Wob!" Wobbuffet shouted in agreement.

"Okay," Meowth said, struggling to make an impromptu act, "Now first…"

The hills outside the Academy were peaceful as usual, the only sounds being the gentle murmur of insects in the grassy fields. Generally left undisturbed by the school except for occasional field trips, the plains enjoyed a state of perpetual serenity. Even the festivities of the Day of the Void failed to alter the harmony. The flocks of guests arrived via the main road in and hustled into the castle, leaving the fields to the back empty as always. Therefore, there were only butterflies to take witness as a cloaked figure passed through to sit on the edge of a small bluff. Once a solid part of the land as a whole, it had suffered the wear of a powerful storm, and was now fragmented. Much like her own life, having been broken by outside forces. While the rest of the area remained vibrant, the shattered hill remained bare, forgotten by the world around it. Such neglect brought ire to her heart, knowing how quickly Saxe-Gotha had been tossed aside and purged from the memory of Albion. But the faint green of vines encroaching on the rocks gave her hope that the once-abandoned stones of the past might rise up in defiance of those who destroyed them. It was only fitting then that she cast her spell on the rocky terrain, watching in triumph as the earth began to mold into an almost human, albeit gigantic, form and slowly began to march towards the Academy.

"Thanks for the help, Malicorne!" Meowth commended the hapless volunteer. The boy with glasses chuckled uneasily, glancing up at the pointy spear mere inches above his head. Meowth and Wobbuffet had started their performance off okay, even if it was shaky. At first, they had kept the act low-grade, with card tricks and such. Eventually though, the act became gradually more and more alarming. First came the juggling, with random objects. Next came juggling again, this time with spears. Then came the spear-throwing act, which Malicorne had been foolish enough to volunteer for. The act consisted of Meowth throwing the spears at Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet would then use Counter to reflect the projectiles, sending them at the target (Malicorne), missing by only small margins.

Admittedly, the two Pokemon were putting up a good show, and the magical deflection of the weapons was impressive. However, the audience was becoming increasingly restless, given the continual escalation of the stakes. Rumors were already flying that the finale would be explosive as fitting Zero's reputation. "Now for the final throw," Meowth said before hurling the last spear at Wobbuffet. This time, instead of being knocked back at Malicorne, it ricocheted towards the horrified crowd.

They closed their eyes in doom, but opened their eyes when no pain arrived. They opened their eyes to see that Louise had leapt forward, and had agilely intercepted and snagged the weapon. "Show's over," Louise told Meowth, dragging him and Wobbuffet off the stage, trying to ignore the jeers of her peers.

"Hey, what was dat for?" Meowth asked. "We were just getting to the good part!"

"You just made a fool out of…" Louise paused from her tirade as she noticed an unusual and disturbing sight before her. Out in the courtyards of the Academy, a massive titan of earth was pounding furiously against the walls.

"Whoa," Meowth said in shock, staring up at the towering giant, "what is dat thing?"

"A golem," Louise answered uneasily.

"Dat's not a Golem!" Meowth countered. "Golems are round. And no Golem ever got to be that big."

Ignoring Meowth's babble- a habit she'd learned to cope with her familiars- Louise continued, "It must be trying to break into the Treasury."

"We can't let them do dat!" Meowth shouted in panic. "We have to stop them before it's too late!"

Louise narrowed her eyes on Meowth in suspicion, but was unable to question him further before a voice spoke from above them, "That's what you think." They gazed up to see a hooded person standing atop the golem.

Louise stared up at the mysterious attacker before realization shot through her. "You're Foquet, the Crumbling Dirt!" she exclaimed in fear. "The mage thief that wanders the lands in search of ill-gotten treasure. The one who has outwitted countless mages."

"Actually," the cloaked man spoke, "the title is 'Crumbling Earth'. But I suppose that's the way with you nobles, always so lost and confused when something does not go as you wish. But, you are correct: I am Fouquet. And if you will excuse me, I will finish relieving this vault of its ancient treasures."

"We won't let you do that!" Louise shouted in defiance, briefly forgetting the danger in favor of pride.

"Dat's right!" Meowth added. "Dis here place is the thieving ground of Team Zero, and no other! So get lost, ya crook wanna-be!"

Although they could not see the rogue's face, the two could tell by the stiffening body that they had made a mistake in challenging the thief. "You children shouldn't be out here by yourself," the figure said threateningly, "otherwise someone could get hurt. You've already gotten yourself into trouble though, so I suppose I'll have to be the one to discipline you for your mistake."

With those words, the golem turned away from its siege of the wall and began to lumber towards the two small figures below. "Uh oh," Meowth said, turning to Wobbuffet. However, the blue creature had already slipped off, dashing away in fear. "Come back, you coward!" Meowth yelled after his retreating 'buddy'. "You know the old Team Rocket camaraderie- if one of us gets squashed, we all get squashed!"

"Can't you use your spears like before?" Louise asked desperately.

"You made me drop them when you dragged me off the stage, remember?" Meowth said.

"Well then," Louise said firmly, stepping towards the giant, "I suppose it's up to me then."

"Boss," Meowth said, his fear shifting from himself to Louise, "get out of dere! It's one thing for a grunt to get killed; it's a whole nother problem when a Boss gets killed."

"No respectable master would desert her familiar," Louise replied, "Even ones as unrespectable as you." Powering up a Fireball spell, she hurled the magic at the golem. Unfortunately, it whizzed past the automaton, continuing onwards until it hit the wall behind the golem. The spell then proceeded to unravel, transforming into a potent explosion that reduced the chunk of magically-enforced brick to rubble. Louise fell to the ground in defeat, waiting for the smashing footstep of the golem to finish them off.

Instead though, the golem turned back to the now-open Treasury." "Let it not be said that Fouquet is as cruel as the nobles he steal from," Fouquet told them. "I owe you a small debt for opening that vault for me. As thanks, I spare your lives. You can see the hopelessness of challenging me, so don't be any more trouble. I'll just take the Staff and depart…" Fouquet froze in shock as he stared at the sight within Treasury.

Jessie and James were not in a good mood. The plan had worked perfectly; a little tunneling and blasting, and they had burst through the floor into their waiting base. However, they soon realized something they never knew before (mostly since they had never gotten as far in the past): claiming a secret base was easier than remodeling one. Jessie was frustrated at the dusty and antiquated decorations in the room, while James was grunting at the extra menial work he had been corralled into. Still, they had made progress, and spirits were up until an explosion broke through one of the walls, engulfing them in dust.

"Take it easy Boss!" James yelled, stepping outside to confront the apparent culprit of the explosion. "If you'll just take a look inside, you can see that we've been very product…" He stopped, craned his neck upwards and stiffened.

"James," Jessie said, emerging from the hole, "what are you doing? Stop looking at the sky and help me explain to the Boss; if we work together maybe we can convince her to let us keep the place…" James remained mute with horror, but slowly pointed a finger up where he was staring. Jessie peered up, and instantly drew back in fear. "What is that thing?" she demanded.

"A golem," a familiar voice said in frustration from behind the giant figure, "and what are you two doing in there?"

"Er…Boss!" James exclaimed at recognizing Louise's pink hair. "Sorry we couldn't make it to the show. How did it go?"

"Never mind that," Louise said. "Just tell me what is going on!"

"You see," James said uncomfortably before a rumble from the golem drove their conversation to a halt.

"I have had just about enough of these interruptions," a hooded man said from atop the golem. "Just suffice to know that I am the infamous thief Fouquet, and that you would do best to get out of my way."

"Listen here, 'thief'," Jessie shot back, "let it suffice for you to know that you are dealing with the world-famous criminal group Team Rocket! Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it Zero!" James added, starting up the motto.

Louise groaned in despair at having to hear the lame chant again, but was surprised when Meowth tugged on her shoulder. "Come on," he told her, "nobody's going to watch us while dere listening to the motto, and besides, we have to get in position for the big finale."

Meanwhile, Fouquet listened in bemusement as the Rockets continued to recite the motto. Finally growing impatient, she broke into their chant and laughed, saying "Team…Rocket? Don't tell me that you're the 'Team Fouquet' that has everyone in Tristainia running around in circles. This is what they were afraid of? A gang of bumblers who would be kicked out if they even tried to join a group of bandits, in fear that the incompetency would interfere with their raids?" However, the two remained undaunted, and continued to speak, their voices growing as they reached the finale.

"Team Zero," Jessie shouted, "blasting off at the speed of light!"

Fouquet drew back her golem, sensing that there was something dangerous waiting to happen.

"Surrender now," James said threateningly, "or we'll blow up everything in sight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" The voice of Meowth could be heard within the vault, followed by a quiet ping. Those noises were quickly muffled by much louder sounds, as the entire Treasury rumbled as if struck by an earthquake. Fouquet watched in awe as the walls just…fell apart, like stacked cards. She had spent hours working at the shield, and they blew through it in less than a minute?

From the ruins of the Treasury, a massive figure emerged. Although at first it seemed almost a murky reflection of Fouquet's golem, as the dust settled its features became clearer. Fouquet did not know what to make of it. On the one hand, it was an amalgam of random pieces, as if a drunken Earth mage tried to build a golem out of a trash heap. On the other hand, it looked surprisingly advanced, brimmed with shiny and unusual objects that no doubt were weapons of some sort. Even with the news of the familiars' Gandalfr status, she had not expected her theft to become this complicated.

"How were we even able to get this running before the motto ended?" Louise asked from her spot beside Meowth in the cockpit. "There was only a minute or less to sneak into the vault and activate the teknoloji. Right?" Somehow, the passing of time during the motto seemed blurry to her, as if she felt herself going between the screens.

"Oh, that's deus ex something," Meowth told her, "meaning dat when you're out of the audience's sight, you can do anything you want, no time limits required. Ya need to remember things like that when you're secondary characters in the program; have to have some way to get the up on the heroes."

"Um, whatever," Louise said, filing the nonsense away for later.

"Enough talk," Jessie said, glaring at Fouquet. "Let's teach that thief not to mess with the real villains!"

"You got it!" Meowth said, pressing a red button, A small object pulled off from the main right arm of the mech and positioned itself to aim at the golem.

Fouquet had been frozen in shock at the turn of events, but her eyes widened and homed in on the small item. A large number of the attachments to the machine appeared to be staffs looted from the treasury, but the object in question stood out. A mail long, and shining with a strange, unknown metal, Fouquet recognized it at once. "That's…the Staff of Destruction!" she exclaimed, energy returning as the treasure waited just feet away from her. "And it's all mine!" Abandoning her fear for determination, Fouquet urged the massive earth golem forward, seeking to tear the opposing giant to bits. As the mech seemed to have been built in a rather hasty manner, it was feasible that enough physical force could make the pieces fall apart, including Fouquet's prize.

However, the assault was held back for the moment, as an onslaught of missiles erupted from the Staff of Destruction and other extensions, keeping the golem at bay. Jessie smirked in triumph. "Take that, you wannabe thief," she crowed. "Let a real thief show you how it's done!"

Meowth looked less sure. "We didn't get a chance to get all the ammunition loaded," he told them, "so that leaves us with this 'Staff' and a couple more cannons. Not enough to hold the thing back for more than a couple of minutes."

"How about you, Boss?" James asked, turning to her.

"Me?" she sighed forlornly. "What can I do? All I did before was mess up, a Zero as always."

"Hey," Meowth said, "don't be all down just because you missed. Even if you didn't hit that 'golem', you still pierced through that wall like a runaway Tauros. Imagine what an explosion like that would do to that lump of rock."

"You really think so?" Louise asked quietly.

"Sure thing!" Meowth replied. "Just get out there and start firing away and don't worry about aiming. With enough collateral damage, you're sure to hit the target eventually. As long as you reach your goal in the end, it don't matter how rough you leave the road you traveled."

Louise nodded, saying, "Of course. I can't let you peasants mess this up; leave this to a noble." With grace gained from weeks of dodging various training traps, Louise stepped out onto the machine's head and let loose spell after spell. Most of them missed, turning the Academy into even more ruins. Sure enough though, some managed to hit the golem, causing large chunks to fall to the ground and crumble to dirt.

However, Fouquet continued to march forward on the golem, steadily growing nearer and nearer to his quarry. Getting within range at last, Fouquet leaned forward with the golem to snag the item from the arm, only to be thrown off his feet. Louise's blast had destroyed one of the legs on the golem, which now teetered precariously before tumbling headlong into the mech. The two titans collapsed to the ground in a pile.

Team Rocket closed its eyes, waiting to be crushed, but instead felt themselves lifted away from the calamity below. Opening her eyes, Louise saw that she was resting on Sylphid's back, with Kirche smiling devilishly at her.

"Wow, Louise," Kirche noted, eyeing the destruction that the many explosions had caused, "you've really outdone yourself. A classroom is one thing, but half the school's walls? Impressive. I'll be sure to congratulate you whenever you have detention."

"It was to stop a thief from stealing the Staff of Destruction," Louise protested.

"Well," Kirche observed, looking down, "it looks like he's going to pull it off now anyways.

Fouquet had survived the disaster without a scratch, and was now slowly making his way towards the waiting treasure. Although the ground was now littered with various fragments, he moved forward with confidence, pushing aside a red level that barred the way.

Meowth paled in horror. "Oh no!" he screamed, "Don't touch that!"

"Er," James said weakly to Kirche and Tabitha, "could we please pull up a little higher? And a little to the side as well. As soon as possible, if you please." Sensing a looming threat, Tabitha nodded and had Sylphid fly a distance from the wreck. A few seconds later, the mech burst into a powerful explosion. Pieces from the mech went flying into the sky, including the Staff and Fouquet, before disappearing as stars in the horizon."

Staring blankly at the catastrophe, Jessie said, "I suppose we can't just pretend this never happened."

"I'm afraid that is not the case," Professor Omsond spoke, hovering beside the dragon with the roused faculty.


	7. Episode VI: The Fouquet Hunt

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode VI: The Fouquet Hunt

Osmond pressed his hand hard onto his forehead. "You mean to tell me," he groaned, "that you thought the Treasury would be the perfect base?"

"Yep," Meowth answered. "We thought that since nobody ever looked in it, what with it being locked up and all, that we could have the place all to ourselves. Plus, with all those magical defenses, the base would be invulnerable."

"If that is so," Osmond said, "which I do know since I helped build those walls, then how in the Founder's name did you manage to break through?"

"The Professor told us," Meowth replied.

"Which teacher?" Osmond asked.

"Not teacher," Jessie said, "Professor. The only one here who actually seems to fit the title. Wears glasses and is always looking through the library." Team Rocket had spotted him once in a while when snooping through the campus, and he always seemed to be hard at work researching something, or better yet applying that knowledge in experiments. Because of this, they had come to have some silent respect for the man. While he might be mocked by his peers here, in the Pokemon world he could have been the top Professor of any region he desired. Colbert remained silent with the rest of the faculty, but gave a look of gratitude to the familiars. Of course, they might have been a little more uneasy if they knew that his current research focused on them.

"Oh, you mean Colbert," Osmond said dismissively. "Always peeking at the little details, he is. Though I may have to reprimand him for giving such information to non-faculty."

"He didn't actually tell us directly," Meowth said. "We just happened to listen in on a little conversation he was having with some other higher up. It was dat green-haired secretary, Miss Lickitung or something."

"It's Miss Longueville," the aide in question countered hastily in agitation, "and we are veering away from the topic at hand. Even if you helped defend the Treasury as you say, it is still a flagrant violation of school policy to tamper with the Treasury."

"It wasn't like there was anything valuable in there," Jessie protested. "Everything in there was practically worthless; we were all for dumping them in a river before Meowth thought of the mech."

"I can assure you," Osmond told them, "that the items stored in the treasury were not 'junk'. They were rare and potent magical tools either granted to the Academy in bequests or stored here for security reasons. Therefore, your usage of them as parts in your 'mech' was utterly irresponsible, even more so when the explosion scattered them across the school. In fact, that is a primary reason we are meeting.

"You see," he said with emphasis, "one object has yet to be found, and it is presumed to have vanished with Fouquet: the Staff of Destruction."

"Staff of Destruction?" James noted. "Sounds mysterious. Was it that golden tipped one, with the doves on the side?"

"No," Osmond said, "that would be the Staff of Sirap, gifted to the school by a former teacher."

"What about the bright red one?" Meowth asked.

"No," Osmond replied, "that is not it either."

"The one with the twelve different stones on it?" Jessie asked. "Or maybe the one that had ribbons streaming from it?"

Osmond tried to answer their escalating questions, but was preempted when Longueville pounded her hand on the desk. "For the Founder's sake," she shot out in annoyance, "it is a curved, silver device. Light to the touch, it has a smooth texture to it, almost like a snake. Just by looking at it, you can see the magic it must hold inside."

"Oh, that one," Meowth said. "I remember that. One of the few good finds from the whole mess. But that wasn't a staff, or anything magical. Just an old missile launcher."

"Is this some of the teknoloji you've told me about, like the mech you built too?" Louise asked curiously. She had been skeptical about this pseudo-magic, but now she could see its potential. The Staff of Destruction was a legendary treasure, one prized for its magical powers. But what if her familiars were right, and the magic was really teknoloji, a power that anyone could use? However, even the power of the Staff seemed miniscule when compared to the teknoloji her own familiars unleashed. The towering construct they built could rival most golems, yet they had built the thing through their own efforts instead of with magic. And to top it all off, they had used the Staff as a weapon on it. Not 'the' weapon, but 'a' weapon, simply built in as an addition to an already powerful piece of teknoloji.

"Sure is," Meowth said, "and you had a part in it yourself Boss. If it wasn't for your help, we couldn't have gotten the thing up and running in time to finish the motto."

"So you think I can really learn to use it?" she asked.

"Of course," James told her. "Anyone can. You just need to have the spirit to get into it."

"Enough with the drama," Jessie said. "What's the big deal with the Staff anyways?"

"Very well," Osmond said, sitting back in his seat for a long tale. "The Staff of Destruction could have been hidden many places, but I kept it here as a memory of my savior. It happened thirty years ago."

Osmond continued to talk, but Louise felt the headmaster and the entire setting fade away to show a beautiful forest. "What's going on?" she demanded, once she realized that her familiars were still with her.

"Pipe down," Meowth said. "You never should interrupt a flashback. It's an affront to nostalgia, you know. Besides, it's a better way to learn than just listening." Louise had to admit that her familiars were right on that point. It seemed like a miracle to watch this old scene. She faintly recognized the woods as those surrounding the Academy, though they looked different than she remembered.

Her musings ceased as an elderly figure slowly hobbled down the trail. The old man was Osmond, though he didn't look much younger than he did now. "Ah," young(er) Osmond sighed as he walked through the forest, "I always enjoy these walks. It is always good, when life seems to pass you by, to lose yourself in serenity, if only for a moment."

Said peace, however, quickly dissipated as a terrifying roar broke through the songbirds' melody. Trees quaked and fell to the ground to reveal a massive beast approaching. With a reptilian appearance, the thing appeared to be a dragon. It lacked wings though, and it had two heads instead of just one. Louise froze in horror as she remembered a class on magical creatures. Despite the legends of old, dragons were relatively pathetic beasts when it came to might. Sure, a village might have trouble with some once in a while, but they lacked both in the strength to defeat opponents and in the cunning to make up for the lack of the former. They served well as aerial steeds, but were by no means a match for a capable mage on their own. Still, there were a couple of species that still left fear and awe in mages and commoners alike. One, the Rhyme Dragon, was already extinct (although she did have suspicions regarding Tabitha's familiar). There was another dragon though that sent chills into the heart of its prey. A maddened monster that left only destruction in its wake.

"That's…a Jabberwocky," Osmond noted calmly, though his trembling hands betrayed his fear. "Well," he said, drawing his wand, "I suppose that this is a fitting end for an old legend. Lost guardian of the Tulgey Wastes, know that you face Osmond the Great!" Louise stared in surprise; the title rang a bell in her hazy memories of history classes. Was he really…? She had no time to ponder, as the battle commenced. Osmond let loose a flurry of magical attacks from his wand. But Louise knew, as Osmond did, that it was a futile defense, given the dragon's special qualities. Sure enough, the Jabberwocky met the blast head-on. A glimmering force field shone in front of its body, dissipating the magic in an instant. Jabberwockies could generate such barriers at will, making them the bane of mages through nullification. Attack was out of the option, and a mighty howl from the dragon removed the option of flight as well by immobilizing Osmond.

The Jabberwocky moved to grab Osmond, but was thrown aback as a mighty explosion engulfed its back. "What?" Osmond peered through the smoke to see a gaunt figure behind the dragon, armed with a strange item. Although the object looked unwieldy, Osmond knew from the grip that it was a staff of some kind. But how did it pierce the dragon's magical defenses. "It must have enough magical potency to break through the shield," Osmond concluded after some thought. It was theoretically possible, after all.

Louise, on the other hand, had a better understanding of why. _It ignored the barrier because it wasn't magic to begin with, _she thought._ I thought teknoloji was a form of magic, but everything I hear makes me think it's so much more. I have to learn to harness it!_

Angered at the unexpected wounds, the Jabberwocky snarled and marched towards the mysterious figure. Osmond awaited another blast, but to his surprise the man discarded the staff and charged the dragon, evidently trying to defeat the beast in close combat. Osmond cringed, and so did Louise. There was a reason why Jabberwockies were so dangerous. While their magical defenses neutralized mages, physical attacks on one, especially at close range, were tantamount to suicide. The tough skin of a dragon was formidable, and any fool knew that while dragons were bulky creatures, they would quick rend to shreds anything that got into their range. Within seconds, the hapless victim was in grave danger, with the Jabberwocky's claws and teeth tearing into him.

Osmond slowly got to his feet, the roar's effects fading away, and stared in horror at his would-be rescuer. He could try to flee now of course, but he had his pride as a mage. There was one last chance though. While the Jabberwocky could create shields on whim, it needed to consciously make one. At the moment, having been harassed by an attack that penetrated its ace in the hole, the dragon may have dropped it. If it did… After a hasty chant, Osmond unleashed a powerful beam of magic. His instincts were right, as it shattered the dragon's back like glass. The Jabberwocky shakily got to its feet and made a final movement, but then collapsed to the ground for good.

"Thank you, sir," Osmond said as he examined his rescuer. The man looked confused, and opened his mouth to speak, only to cringe in pain, falling into Osmond's arms. Tearing off the man's strange shirt, Osmond was horrified to see blood spewing from the wounds left by the Jabberwocky. What truly chilled him was not the red of the blood, but the faint green taint that could be seen around the cuts. Poison, which could kill a man with more ease than a sword, given enough time.

The scene faded away, leaving Louise and the others back in the office. Continuing as if nothing had happened, Osmond said, "I transported him to the Academy and treated his wounds. But it was sadly in vain."

After a moment of silence, Jessie finally asked, "So the Staff is what the man used to defeat the dragon?"

"Not exactly," Osmond replied. "You see, there were two Staffs of Destruction. I buried the one he used with him in his grave. The second one I moved into the vault to commemorate my savior." Gazing out the window with melancholy, he said, "As he rested on his deathbed, he kept repeating the same questions over and over, they were all he had left. 'Where is this place? I want to go back to my world.' I suppose then," he concluded, "That he must have come from some other world."

"He's right," James said.

"What?" Osmond asked.

"What he means," Jessie clarified, "Ii that we recognized the 'Staff' at once."

"Because of your runes?" Osmond asked, only to be caught aback when they stared at him in confusion.

"What runes?" Meowth asked. "We know what the thing is because it's from our world."

Osmond's eyes gleamed. "From your world?"

James nodded. "It's a weapon from our world," he told them, "Although it's an older model."

"Older?" Longueville asked with aggressive curiosity. "Do you mean that the Staff would be considered obsolete in your world."

"Probably," Jessie said disinterestedly, "if only because the thing has such limited ammo?"

"Ammo?" Louise asked.

"You saw how most of the cannons ran empty before the battle was over," Meowth answered. "With projectile launchers, you always have a limit on how many times you can use it before you need to refill. With the Staff, there was only room for seven shots, and six had already been used up in that one. It's probably why dat guy dropped the original one after his first shot; he'd probably run that one empty too."

"In that case," Miss Longueville noted, a slight tone of reluctance in her voice, "there is not much use for the Staff, either for the faculty or for Fouquet."

"Well, actually," Jessie sweated.

All eyes homed in on the three. "What?" Osmond asked imperiously.

"Ya see," Meowth said, scratching his head, "we weren't going to let a good weapon become a piece of junk. So we fixed it up."

"You. Fixed. It. Up?" Louise asked tensely. "Elaborate."

"We improved the ammunition," James confessed, "and increased the limit tenfold; there are enough missiles stored in that thing to keep firing for days on end."

"And now Fouquet has escaped with this dangerous weapon," Osmond sighed, "and she has left her trail bare."

"Actually," Longueville spoke up, "it may be easier to find Fouquet than you think."

"What do you mean?" Osmond asked, swiveling his head towards her.

"According to the commoners around the area," she said, "a person with a black-hooded coat entering an abandoned house in the forest. The building is most likely her…his hideout."

"A black hood?" Louise exclaimed. "That must be Fouquet!"

"We must report this to the Imperial army!" Colbert declared suddenly.

"You fool," Osmond countered, staring the teacher to silence, "by the time we report this, Fouquet will have gotten away. Besides, if we don't solve this matter ourselves, we don't deserve to be called nobles! Since the item was stolen from the Academy, it is the duty of the staff to retrieve it."

"Excuse me," Jessie's voice cut in, "but if anyone's going to go after Fouquet, it's going to be Team Zero!"

"What?" Louise's head shot up, not so much as the uncouth team name, but rather at the danger she was being thrust into. She had been considering volunteering for the difficult task, but it was aggravating that her familiars always seemed to act before asking.

"Look," Jessie continued, "whatever that Staff used to be, Team Zero claimed it and the vault as our own. And then that little thief came in and ruined everything. If there is anyone who deserves revenge on Fouquet, it's us! Thieves' honor and all that."

"Besides," Meowth said, "we nearly whipped that golem and him the last time, so we're sure to win now."

"That's the spirit!" Derflinger said, shaking in excitement. "This is the kind of quest that makes heroes, and we have the power inside to make that happen. Who's with me?"

"I would be willing to assist as well," Kirche added, snuggling up close to an uncomfortable James.

"And I," Tabitha spoke behind Kirche.

"Tabitha!" Kirche exclaimed in worry. "You don't need to do this. This doesn't even concern you at all!"

Tabitha replied, "I'm just worried." Touched, Kirche looked at her friend in gratitude.

Laughing, Osmond said, "Well, I suppose that you do have a point. It is only right that those responsible for the problem resolve it. While you are not the only source of the disaster- we all have blame in complacency- you still had a primary role in the events, and should make recompense. Should you bring back the Staff, that should serve as replacement for other punishments."

"Deal!" the team said quickly, eager to avoid the extra chores.

"Headmaster!" Chevreuse shouted. "I strongly object! We should not put our students in any further danger."

"The decision is final, Ms. Chevreuse," Osmond said, "unless you wish to go in their steed?" Chevreuse closed her mouth at the threat. "In any case," Osmond continued, "they have firsthand experience with Fouquet, and therefore are the best option for fighting him. I am confident that they will emerge victorious.

"Take Miss Tabitha for example," he said. "Even though she is very young, she has been awarded the title of Chevalier, is that not correct?" All occupants present stared at Tabitha in disbelief.

"Tabitha," Kirche gasped, "Is this true?"

"Yes," Tabitha answered quietly, not wishing to discuss the matter further.

"Is this chandelier rank important?" Meowth asked Louise.

"Idiot!" Louise shot back. "Most ranks can be received through a number of means, from magic to inheritance to wealth. But the Chevalier title is a gift from the crown for services to the kingdom. And difficult deeds to be sure. For her to have received that title, at her age…"

"Now I know who she reminds me of!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Who?" James asked.

"That Prima girl the Twerps ran into in the Orange Islands," Jessie replied. "You know, the quiet, laidback woman who turned out to be an Elite of all things? She just needs to have a darker shade of hair and more poetic musings."

"You're right," James said, "but I always thought she resembled Lance more."

"Lance is a man, you dolt!" Jessie told him. "And besides, his hair look more like Kirche's than Tabitha's."

"Maybe not in appearance," James said, "but she always seems so serious. Some sort of aura that she's ready to fight…."

Osmond went on and continued, "Miss Zerbst comes from a family of distinguished war heroes, and has a strong connection to fire magic."

Kirche flicked her hair with a sense of pride, exchanging a smirk with the bitter Jessie.

Louise straightened up, expecting to be praised like the others. Her hopes fell when Osmond seemed to hesitate, not having anything to say. To her surprise though, Team Rocket stepped up. "We can handle our Boss' praises on our own, thank you," Jessie told the headmaster curtly.

"Yes," James said, "While our Boss' greatest strength is her ability to create explosions beyond compare…" Louise shot death glares at James, but he continued, "She has also shown great adaptability, and her training has already gotten her very far."

"And if our Boss still needs help," Meowth said, "we'll be there for her. With a team, anything's possible!"

"Yes, yes!" Colbert exclaimed excitedly. "With three familiars who are Gandal…"

"Hahaha!" Osmond said, slapping Colbert hard on the back to cover up his babble. "If anyone thinks that they are more capable to retrieve the staff than these volunteers, please step forward." After nobody moved, Osmond turned to the group and said, "The Academy awaits the capture of Fouquet!"

"Wait!" Everyone froze and deadpanned as Guiche burst into the room in a mad dash and fell onto the floor at Osmond's feet, panting in exhaustion. "I…shall follow…Team Zero…as well!" he declared between raspy breaths.

"Guiche de Gramont," Osmond mused, "son of General Gramont. An excellent addition for this quest. Although you do seem a bit tired," he noted, seeing that Guiche had worn himself out, apparently from running all the way to the meeting. "But no matter!" Osmond added. "We will send you all off by carriage to the site in question. You must conserve your energy for the battle ahead. Miss Longueville," he asked, "could you please accompany them?"

"Certainly," she agreed with a smile.

"Thank you for supporting me," Louise told her familiars as they rode in the carriage, "even if you had to exaggerate."

"What do you mean, Boss?" James asked.

"We meant every word," Jessie said.

"You…mean it?" Louise asked, barely daring to hope.

"Of course, Meowth said confidently. "Your explosions are terrific! And they do come in handy, don't they?"

"You're right about that," Louise conceded, recalling the damage she dealt to the golem, "But what about my training? So far I haven't learned a thing!"

"Sure ya did," Meowth said, "How else did you manage to catch those spears I threw?"

"Wait…you're right," Louise said, eyes widening in shock. How did she manage to catch those wild weapons? She hadn't used any magic, as there had been none of her usual explosions, thank the Founder. That meant… "You mean that my training is working?"

"Absolutely," Jessie said, "we'll just have to keep teaching you new tricks."

Louise brightened at this, until she remembered just how insane their training methods were. "Thank…you, I guess?" she mumbled, head slumping.

"Don't worry, Boss," James said, "training is a part of life; with it, you can reach potential you never dreamed of before."

"Ya just have to remember to use what you know with what you have," Meowth said. "I've seen plenty of powerful Pokemon and trainers fall to what some might call the weakest of the weak. With the right strategy though, you can turn a whole fight around."

"Wise words," Guiche noted, sitting across from them. "You commoners, if that is what you truly are, remain a puzzle to me."

"That's what we are," Jessie replied, "the villainous puzzle to keep the Twerps guessing."

"So why did you volunteer, Guiche?" Louise asked. She was surprised that Guiche had volunteered for this dangerous mission, especially after his recent defeat against her familiars. Technically, the last-second explosion had allowed Guiche to claim victory, but he had remained unsettled since then, acting subdued in contrast to his usual arrogance.

"Well, I…" he mumbled before blurting out, "Please teach me!" to the three familiars.

"Huh?" Louise asked, baffled.

"I've done a lot of thinking since my defeat," Guiche began to explain, "and it was a defeat, even if the common rumor is that I triumphed in the end. But more than the mere defeat by commoners, the battle…changed me. I entered the fight with the expectation of a simple victory, a trivial game to play for amusement."

"That is what battles are best fit for," James said.

"Yes," Guiche replied, "but I never could have imagined the depth you gave it. It made the usual duels a mere child's game in comparison. The tactics the battle required were unconventional yet effective. Since then, I've tried to improve my Valkyries' attacks, with limited success. Then I heard that Miss Zerbst had participated in a similar duel. Is that true?" she asked her.

"Yes," she replied, "I used my beloved Flame to defend the honor of my darling, isn't that right James?"

"Honor?" Jessie ranted. "You call that rubbish…"

"Quiet!" Louise yelled. "Now, what does this have to do with the mission?"

"Well," Guiche admitted sheepishly, "I had to find some way to approach you for advice, and needed to show my improvement in the process. So I thought that I'd join this expedition and help defeat Fouquet."

"You already showed you could learn," James said. "By the end of your fight, you were really starting to think."

"Thank you," Guiche said, "but I wanted to ask you commoners about training a different fighter."

"You mean that little Sandshrew you didn't give us?" Meowth asked.

"That 'little Sandshrew' is my precious Verdandi," Guiche said in a huff, "and if you are not kind to her, I may rescind my offer."

"What do we get out of this though?" Jessie asked. "You can't expect us to be altruistic; it's almost as bad as being a hero!"

"I am willing to offer payment," Guiche answered, "in exchange for your help as well as the trouble I dealt you before."

The team brightened at the prospect of more wealth. "In that case," Meowth said, "Llt's git on with the training!"

"We won't be able to do anything now," Guiche said. "Verdandi is currently trailing the carriage from underground. We can discuss this further when we arrive."

"Miss Longueville," Louise asked, "how much further?"

"Only a few more minutes," Longueville answered, holding the horses' reins in her hands.

"Miss Longueville," Kirche said, "this task could have been done by a commoner. Why do you have to do it yourself?"

"It's alright," she replied, "I'm not a noble anymore."

Kirche looked ready to inquire further, but stopped as she looked at James, who seemed melancholy in reminiscence. It was clear that James was from nobility, even if he lacked magic. She had tried to ask him about it once, but he had looked so depressed that she ceased with her questions. What was it they had said before, that tearing into a person's past was the worst crime? And so, she instead sighed and turned to Louise saying, "Well, this is a fine mess your impetuous nature has gotten us into, capturing Fouquet of all things?"

"My fault?" Louise asked. "What do you mean? You volunteered yourself."

"Only because I need to protect James," Kirche replied. "You'd just run off and let him do the fighting."

"I wouldn't do that," Louise protested. "I'd defend him with my magic."

"What magic, Zero?" Kirche sniffed.

"You…"

"Hold it!" Jessie yelled. "James doesn't need help from either of you; he has his team to look after him, isn't that right?"

"Well," James said slowly, "the thing is, we've been talking, and it has been decided that we'll stay to the sidelines this time."

"What?" Louise demanded in fear.

"You really need to show off your new moves, Boss," Meowth explained, "so we'll just let you deal with things. It'll be good training."

"Why, Founder?" Louise moaned. "What did I ever do to be doomed to such a fate?"

The conversation was halted as the light covering the open cart faded away. They had entered the dark confines of the forest. "We'll have to go by foot from here on," Longueville said, disembarking from the carriage.

"I'm afraid of the dark!" Kirche exclaimed, eagerly seeking comfort in James' arms.

"Get off him!" Jessie yelled.

"But I'm so frightened," Kirche protested.

"If you're so scared," Meowth said, "you can always hang back with us. We'll watch the carriage."

"Yeah," Jessie added, "if you're a coward, that is."

Kirche considered her options, and finally said, "I will just accompany my dear friend Zero."

"It's Louise!" she yelled.

"Louise the Zero it is," Kirche countered, smiling.

"And what makes you think you're staying here?" Louise shouted to her familiars. "It is the duty of a familiar to protect its master."

"But you won't see how far you've come if you don't get a chance to fight," James said.

"Besides," Meowth added, "We need a place to train Guiche and his Sandshrew Dandy."

"It's Verdandi," Guiche said, "and I was hoping to fight Fouquet. Such an honor…"

"We can do both," Jessie said. "We'll train out here first, and once the fight starts we'll come running."

"Dat's right," Meowth agreed, handing Louise a small, metal device. "This here's a walky-talky. Just call us when it's time and we'll run over as fast as we can."

"It's still a long ways to the hut," Louise said, "so how will you make it in time?"

"Leave that to us," Kirche said, turning to Tabitha.

"Tabitha, could you please stay behind with Sylphid? With your dragon's help, the time will be cut drastically. And keep an eye on James for me, okay?" she whispered, smirking at Jessie.

Jessie fumed at her plans being dismantled, but held her temper in. "Fine," she huffed, "get going and find that Staff." As the rest of the group faded into the bushes, Jessie asked Guiche, "So where is your familiar anyways?"

"Here she is," Guiche responded, gesturing to an open piece of ground.

"Where?" Meowth asked, "I don't see nothing." Guiche ignored him and tapped the earth lightly. As if on signal, Verdandi burst from below. "Whoa!" Meowth exclaimed. "I didn't even see that coming."

"Knowing Dig already is a good start," James mused. "Is there anything else it knows?"

"No other attacks," Guiche said, "but she also has a keen sense for precious metals, a boon to an Earth mage."

"Still useful," Jessie said. "Let's begin then. Get in there Meowth!"

"Why me?" he protested.

"Because I said so!" Jessie shouted back.

"Don't worry," James reassured Meowth, "I'll guide you in battle."

"You sure you'se up for this, Jimmy?" Meowth asked.

"Of course," James answered. "After all, my training with Kirche and Flame has been superb so far, so I think…"

"Wait," Jessie cut in, "what's this about you training Kirche?"

"Oh," James answered, "She asked me to help train Flame to fight. We've been working together each night."

"You've been alone with her?" Jessie screamed, resembling a Primeape in her rage. "She'll seduce you in a heartbeat!"

"Don't worry," James said, raising his hands up, "she's relatively restrained during the sessions. Isn't that right Tabitha? You participate too, after all."

"Correct," Tabitha agreed, looking up from her book. "Focuses on training."

"You see?" James said. "Nothing to worry about." Jessie let loose a sigh of relief, which she quickly drew back when he continued, "Actually, it's kind of nice. It's good that we're becoming friends."

"Wonderful," Jessie muttered before saying, "Can we get started already?"

"Okay," James said, "I'm ready when you are, Guiche."

"I admit that I am still a little concerned about sending my precious Verdandi into battle," Guiche said hesitantly.

"That's perfectly alright," James said. "It's good for a trainer to be concerned about his Pokemon. But your Pokemon need experience to grow, whether by companionship at your side or by learning to fight."

"So one must experience life in order to truly thrive in it," Guiche mused.

"Of course," James said. "So are you ready then?"

"I am," he replied, nudging Verdandi forward.

"Let's start out simple," James said. "Guiche, have Verdandi attack Meowth."

"Go, Verdandi!" Guiche cried, watching the massive mole run forward.

However, James said, "Meowth, Fury Swipes!" Meowth lashed out with his sharp claws, striking Verdandi."

"Verdandi!" Guiche moaned.

"Don't worry," James said, "Defeat is a part of training. You have to be able to take hits if you want to win. Now dodge the attacks." Verdandi began to move left to right, slipping past Meowth's paws. Meowth increased his attack in desperation, but eventually Verdandi got past him and struck like a mountain, knocking Meowth back into a tree.

"Now the foe is weak," James said, "So there is no reason to continue to hold back. Give everything you have!" Meowth cringed, waiting for the final blow. However, Verdandi stopped dead in its tracks, curiously sniffing the ground.

"What's the matter, dear Verdandi?" Guiche asked in concern.

"It's saying dat something's not right with the earth," Meowth answered.

"I thought you could only understand Pokemon," James said.

"Yeah," Meowth replied, "but the writers wanted to make sure my translation skill didn't become a forgotten utility. So they gave me a speed choice in Wild Halkeginian."

"Whatever," Jessie said. "What's the problem then?"

"There's some heavy shaking deeper in the woods," Meowth said, "like an earthquake or something."

"Golem," Tabitha said, closing her book and heading to Sylphid.

"Or a Golem, yeah," Meowth said absently before exclaiming, "Oh no! The Boss!"

Longueville glanced back at the children with a frown as she vanished into the foliage. They had reached their destination, a small wooden house in a clearing. While the girls went inside to investigate, Longueville had told them she would search the surrounding area. Was she putting too much faith in them? She had already had her confidence ruptured when that girl nearly got squashed by the golem. A golem, even of such a large size, should have been mincemeat against a Void Mage. Yet the little girl had nearly been mashed into the ground. Certainly not befitting of the Founder's legacy. Perhaps the Professor and Headmaster were wrong, and her opponents lacked the powers they believed. In that case, it would be better to flee as usual. In any case, her mystery employer likely knew how to utilize the Staff himself, given that the only thing required was its retrieval.

But no, there were other indications that showed their true worth. Despite Louise's failure to destroy the golem, her magic had succeeded in blasting a hole into the walls of the Treasury, a feat worthy of the Founder. And while her 'Rocket' familiars seemed utterly hopeless, their technical skills were astounding. To construct such a massive counter to her golem- and modify the Staff, too- could only be the work of the Left Hand. Although, she did not notice any Runes glowing during the battle. Still, the point was that they had the skills of a Gandalfr- regardless of whether they were one or not- and that was all she needed for her plan to succeed.

As she began to chant her spell unto the earth, she had a sudden urge to laugh; she kept her mirth inward, but still admired its irony. Through her months at the academy, she had never truly been a teacher like the rest. Perhaps that was for the best, as she lacked the experience of teaching and leading that others had. However, she had learned from her father the value of challenging one's students, and this test would certainly serve to prove the mettle of the would-be mage and her familiars. Now she would see if they could uphold the Founder's name!

"Are you sure it's safe in here?"

"Of course, Kirche," Louise said. "I already scouted it out, didn't I? There is nobody in here."

"I'd be more certain if I didn't know you were a Zero at magic, Louise," Kirche said. "Maybe I should have had Tabitha come along; she knows magic traps like the back of her hand."

"I'm telling you," Louise continued, "Fouquet must have abandoned this place already. Coming here was a waste of time."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kirche said, pointing at a small item. "There's the Staff! I'm surprised it was so easy."

"Don't say that!" Louise exclaimed hurriedly.

"Say what?" Kirche asked. "That it was too easy? Well, it's true."

"Do you want trouble?" Louise said. "If we keep talking about this being easy, something bad is going to happen." She didn't know why, but she had an uncanny feeling that those optimistic words were a harbinger of doom.

"Those familiars of yours are making you go bonkers, Louise," Kirche said dismissively, turning around to leave. "There's nothing to worry about…aaaah!"

Louise opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but was stopped as the roof vanished, only to be replaced by a giant golem. "Fouquet's golem!" Louise yelled. "It's back!"

Kirche sent a fire spell at the golem, but even the presence of flames across its body did little to deter it. "It's too tough for the two of us!" Kirche shouted.

"Let's get out of here," Louise said, grabbing the Staff and then dashing out of the house seconds before the golem crushed it to smithereens. Although she escaped safely, Louise felt the absence of the walky-talky device; looked like they were on their own.

She then turned around to see where Kirche was. Kirche lay pinned under some rubble, as the golem marched ever closer. Kirche closed her eyes, desperately trying to embrace the Germanian code of "Passion at the deathbed". She tried to envision suitor after suitor, but only one face endured, a blue-haired, modest face. "James darling," she mumbled, "I don't regret the fun I had with you." However, she was surprised when she felt herself lifted up and carried away from the golem. Had her lover returned to save her, like a gallant knight? "Beloved, my heart beats in untempered passion for you…"

Kirche stopped abruptly as she saw just who her rescuer was. "Don't get any perverted ideas in your head, Zerbst," Louise said. "Now get back to the rest of the team. I'll hold it off."

"What?" Kirche shouted worriedly. "That's suicide, Louise, and you know it!"

"No," Louise said firmly, standing her ground. "If I subdue this, I will never be called Louise the Zero again."

"Look at the size difference between you and the golem. You can't possibly win!"

"You'll never know if you don't try."

"Louise, what's gotten into you?" Kirche asked, desperately tugging on her dress.

"My familiars," Louise said slowly.

"What?"

"When they went out to fight Guiche, even they expected to lose. But they still went to the duel, determined to win. They did not, and do not, give up when things seem hopeless, and neither will I. I do not want to bow my head, and I never will."

"But…"

"But nothing. Even though I may not accomplish anything, it's still a matter of pride. Plus, they taught me one other thing: nothing is ever hopeless."

Kirche smiled sadly. "You know, Louise," she said, "you would have been a good Zerbst. Plenty of energy and determination. Just not enough lust."

"You would have been a good Valliere too," Louise countered with a friendly smirk, "If you had just a little less lust."

"One day," Kirche said, "we'll have to see which of us has the most spirit. I'll be expecting you then."

"I'll be there," Louise said. "Now go." Kirche ran off, leaving Louise to fight the golem.

Once Kirche was gone, Louise began to chant a spell. She knew from prior experience that her explosions could shatter the golem's thick armor as easily as normal spells- if not easier! However, it appeared that Fouquet had learned from the last encounter. The golem moved forward with surprising speed. Seeing the giant towering over her, Louise had to dive to the side to avoid being crushed, and therefore lost control of the emerging spell. Louise tried to launch another spell, but had to run again. "This is hopeless," Louise muttered. "I can't even launch one spell. Even when my spells work, they still fail in the end!"

"That's because they're too powerful," Derflinger mused.

"What do you mean?" Louise asked.

"I've seen your kind of mage before," he said, "And they could produce the most destructive spells this world has ever seen. The thing is, those spells take time and power to generate. That's why they always had familiars in the front to protect them while the magic was forming."

"Well," Louise said, "that won't work here. My familiars are elsewhere, and alone I'm defenseless…" Or was she? Her familiars were right, she had learned from their lessons. But how to apply them now…

"_Ya just have to remember to use what you know with what you have…With the right strategy though, you can turn a whole fight around." _

That's right! She had her explosive magic, which she knew could work against golems. She just had to find a way to make the golem hold still… Louise was so caught up in her thoughts that she tripped on a stray root, making her miss the golem's fist by only inches this time. However, she leapt up with revelation. "I know what to do," Louise told Derflinger, "just follow my lead."

"You do?" he asked.

"I've spent enough time fighting the golem on its terms," Louise said firmly. "Now let's see if it can fight under mine. Hey, you!" Louise shouted, throwing a rock at the golem. "Come and get me, you dumb heap of old magic!"

She then dashed out of the clearing towards the woods. After a few seconds, the golem charged in pursuit, egged on by the taunts. The golem might have caught her on the open field, but Louise used Rollout to zoom into the dense undergrowth, while Pika-Derf ran on top of her like a hamster. The tumble across the dirty ground ripped and sullied her uniform, but Louise ignored it for the time; however much she got messy with this technique, it was one of the quickest ways to travel.

Once in the woods, the chase was slowed by the many trees and vegetation, which impeded the golem's progress. "Not so fast now?" Louise asked, smirking as she stood agilely on a tree branch. The golem's only response was to swing a rocky arm at the tree crushing it to bits. Louise grinned as she jumped away. Perfect! This cycle continued, with Louise shouting taunts from a tree and leaping away when the golem broke the tree.

Finally, the golem moved for another attack, only to unexpectedly recoil. Louise smiled as the first phase of the plan succeeded. "So that's what you were thinking," Derflinger said, watching as the golem struggled to untangle itself from the many broken trees that now surrounded it, "but that may not be enough to keep it immobile for long."

"Don't worry," Louise said with a wild smirk, "we're just getting started!" With that, she landed on the ground and began to claw into the dirt. This was one of her least favorite techniques, as it utterly ruined her appearance, but she needed it for her plan to work. Plus, she felt it was a fitting touch that she, a mage powerless in magic, would defeat a master Earth mage with the same element. Transforming into a spiny-backed creature, Derflinger entered Sandslash mode and begin to burrow into the ground alongside Louise. Louise dug and dug, tunnel after tunnel, until she felt the earth around her quake.

She then exited to the surface and watched as the ground caved in, trapping the golem. The golem writhed in outrage, but was unable to break free of its plant and earthen confines. "Now then," Louise said, drawing out her wand, "let's try this again, shall we?" Louise let loose explosion after explosion, shattering the golem more and more until nothing remained.

"I…did it," she sighed in relief, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

"You sure did, Partner," Derflinger said. "You really are the same as my old master: same spirit, same perseverance, same power."

Louise opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate, but fell over as the ground shook. As she got to her feet, she saw not one but three golems forming around her. Louise slumped in defeat. Of course! Fouquet had to be close by, and he was at least a Triangle mage. One golem was hardly the limit for him. And while her unconventional tactics may have worked against a single golem, now she was outmatched both by strength and numbers. Sighing in defeat, Louise slumped to the ground. She could see the golem's foot approaching her, and closed her eyes for the worst.

"Giving up already?" Derflinger asked. "What happened to that battle spirit you had before?"

"There no hope now," Louise told him, "Just have to give up and wait for the end."

However, her eyes opened wide as her ears picked up the fierce cry of "Kyuui!" Sylphid dove into the fray, yanking Louise out of the way just as the golem pounded her spot on the ground.

Sylphid deposited her on the ground while Louise and Tabitha jumped off.

"Well, Louise," Kirche told her, "much as I will deny it, you helped me out back there. But looks like you need a little more magical help now." Taking a wand from beneath her cleavage, Kirche sent a fireball at the golem. Simultaneously, Tabitha let loose a mighty whirlwind from her staff, turning the already-potent flames into a deadly ring of fire. However, the golem emerged from the blast unscathed, the flames slowly dissipating from its body. Undeterred, Kirche and Tabitha grimly prepared themselves for a hard battle, sending attack after attack.

Louise was ready to run over and help them, but was stopped when a group of hands and paws pulled her away. She turned around to see her familiars' concerned faces. Opening her mouth to speak, she was caught off guard when Jessie slapped her.

"What was that for?" she demanded; however, she became quiet as she saw the serious look on their faces.

"Louise, do you want to die?" Jessie ranted. "You're the Boss, so you can do a lot of things. But there is one thing we will never let you do, and that's die!" Louise stared at them, stunned.

"But…" she protested.

"But nothing!" James said. "Do you think 'noble's pride' matters to others when you're gone, those who truly care about you? Once you die, nothing matters anymore."

Tears began to pour from Louise's eyes like a waterfall. Relenting from their tirade, Team Zero embraced her in a hug. "But…I can't take this lying down," she said.

"Then don't," Meowth said.

"Huh?" Louise asked. "But you just said…"

"Listen here, Boss," Meowth explained, "the only way people ever die is when they let themselves die, the idiots. As long as you have the fight within you, you'll never perish from this world; you just have to keep on going!"

"But I tired myself out fighting the first golem," Louise said, "and I can't use much more magic. Not that magic seems to be effective in most cases," she observed, watching as Kirche and Tabitha's attacks failed.

"Boss, Boss," Meowth sighed, "what have we told you? Magic is one way to fight, but it ain't the only way. If you want to still fight, then use this. Kirche gave it to us," he said, handing her the Staff of Destruction.

"That's right," she mused, "you said that this wasn't magic, it's teknoloji. But why couldn't you use it?"

"We could," Jessie said, "but no need getting into a fight that's not our business."

"Not your…" Louise said slowly.

"What we mean," James clarified, "is that this battle is really for you, so it is only right if you finish it."

"You mean it?" Louise asked, eyes tearing up slightly again.

"You betcha," Meowth said, "so try it out."

Nodding, Louise examined the item. If she didn't know otherwise, she would just wave the thing, expecting the magic to automatically kick in. However, this was teknoloji, so she needed to take a closer look. There was a handle on it, like one of the levers she helped activate for the mech. Trusting her insight, she pulled it and extended a large tube from it. She then pulled what appeared to be the latch, only to slump as nothing happened. However, she remembered that she had to pull a safety switch when turning on the mech. Sure enough, there was something similar on the Staff.

After pulling it, she turned the weapon back towards the enemy, struggling to aim it. "Use the telescope," Jessie told her, "it will help you home in on the target." Louise knew what a telescope looked like; it was a popular toy among wealthy commoners and eccentric nobles for its far-seeing capabilities. Placing her eye on it, she could see a set of lines arrayed on a single point. Pinpointing the golem, she steadied herself and yanked the trigger.

Louise felt herself embraced in the rumble of thunder as a winged projectile burst from the Staff and flew to the golem. As the missile hit, it blasted the rock to smithereens. "I…did it," she said shakily as she got to her feet.

"Ya sure did," Meowth said, "but hurry up and get those other two too!" After two more shots, all of the golems were defeated, the piles of stone being their only remains.

"Well," Jessie said, patting Louise on the back, "good work. Now let's take that weapon and get out of here."

"You're right," Louise said. Despite her victory, she did not feel like fighting Fouquet herself. "Where's Guiche and Miss Longueville?" she asked, not seeing them with her.

"We left Guiche behind to watch the wagon and our Pokemon," James said.

"But we don't know where that secretary ran off to," Meowth said, but then added, "Wait, there she is!" Miss Longueville emerged from the bushes, accompanied by a pale-faced Guiche.

"Miss Longueville!" Kirche shouted. "Do you know where Fouquet summoned her golems." Longueville shook her head and approached Team Zero.

Strangely, Guiche follow her wherever she went, as if he was being dragged. "I think I have an idea," Guiche said, before looking at his side and adding, "but it's difficult to say."

Team Rocket narrowed its eyes in suspicion. "Come," Longueville said to Louise, "we should get going. I'll watch the Staff for you."

Louise obediently handed the weapon to her, but then paused. While Fouquet was grabbing the Staff with her right arm, the left arm was strangely wrapped close to Guiche's neck. At a certain angle, a gleam could be seen from shining metal. ""Wait," Louise asked, "what are you doing?"

Longueville didn't answer, instead yanking the Staff away from Louise. Shoving Guiche to the ground, she began to slowly back away, pointing the Staff while she did. "The one…controlling…the golems," Guiche gasped, trying to recover from his near-death experience.

"Was I," Longueville said with a smirk, "The Great Thief Fouquet!" She removed her glasses, her previous kindness replaced by rage. "Drop your weapons!" she ordered them. "I have the Staff, and now I know how to use it." The students complied, dropping their wands to the ground.

Jessie and James exchanged knowing looks, preparing to drop their Pokeballs to the ground. Even a slight bounce could open a ball, and once they opened the tides of battle would be on their side. To their surprise though, they only grasped thin air. "I knew you familiars would be a problem," Fouquet explained, gesturing to a large bag draped over her shoulder, "so I took them for myself. Perhaps I can use them like the Staff. For now though, hands up! There is nobody who can help you."

"Actually," Guiche said, stepping forward with a smile, "there is."

"Don't move," Fouquet ordered, aiming the weapon at him, "or I'll use you as a hostage again!"

"It's a shame that such a beautiful face contains such villainous aims," Guiche sighed dramatically, continuing to move forward. "It drives a master of the feminine art like myself to tears!"

"Shut up!" Fouquet yelled. "You're in no condition to argue. I have the Staff and…hey!" she cried, seeing that her prized artifact was no longer in her hands. An angry snarl drew her attention to the ground, where Verdandi was making off with the Staff and Pokeballs.

"Good work," Meowth commended Guiche.

"What can I say?" Guiche replied cheerfully. "Verdandi just has a strong attraction for metal. I had her hide underground until the time was right."

"Another success for Team Rocket training!" Jessie crowed.

"Actually," James pointed out, "We didn't actually get a chance to do much training…"

"Shut up!" Jessie countered, punching James.

"Enough!" Fouquet screeched, waving her wand. "I am Fouquet the Crumbling Earth, and I will not be defeated without a figh…" She was interrupted as a bright light shone out of her bag. Verdandi had apparently missed one Pokémon: Wobbuffet, who was now sitting atop Fouquet's back. Pinned down with her wand rolling away, Fouquet had no more options left.

"And that," Jessie said, towering over Fouquet's fallen form, "is how a team of true thieves fights!"

"So Miss Longueville was really Fouquet the Crumbling Earth," Osmond mused once they returned to the Academy. "And she was such a beautiful woman," he sighed.

"I'd be more sympathetic if she didn't try to attack us," Jessie retorted. "And she wasn't that pretty; I mean, I must be a thousand times better than her."

Osmond ignored her and continued, "A job well done for all of you. With the Staff of Destruction returned and Fouquet captured, peace can return to the school. And as thanks for your valiant efforts," he told them, "I have petitioned the court for all of you to be awarded the honor of Chevalier- except Miss Tabitha, of course, who will receive the Elven Medallion in place of the already-earned achievement."

Everyone brightened at this except Louise, who stared listlessly at her familiars. "Headmaster Osmond," she said, "my familiars…Team Rocket, they won't get anything, will they?"

"As they are not nobles," Osmond told her, "no."

"That's alright," James said, "we don't want any titles."

"Yeah," Jessie agreed, "We're just glad we taught that wannabe-thief a lesson."

"Still," Meowth said, "we'd like a couple of words with ya in private once we're done here."

"Certainly," Osmond said, unable to conceal his eagerness. "You are all dismissed."

Louise left with the others, but hung back as the others walked off, chatting about their newly-earned glory. She wanted to know what her familiars were up to. She could not stay by the door, of course, or she could be found out. There was another, riskier option that Louise would have dismissed in the past. Her recent experiences had given her new hope though, so she opened one of the tower's windows. Leaping out, she began to climb up until she was just under Osmond's window.

"So ya say we're some sort of familiar called Gandalf?" Meowth's voice rang out the window. Louise nearly lost her grip on it. Gandalfr? That was…impossible. She had heard stories of the legendary familiar, but those were fairy tales, dating back to the Founder's reign. It couldn't be. But, she had had the impossible thrown in her face since the ceremony, so what was one more impossible dream?

"Yes," Osmond said, "the Runes on your hands indicate that you are Gandalfr, a legendary familiar."

"Really?" James said. "We haven't noticed any difference."

"Are you sure?" Osmond asked. "Gandalfr was famous for the ability to use any weapon at will. That is likely why you could use the Staff of Destruction."

Louise should have been exhilarated at this revelation, but instead felt depressed. Deep within, she knew why. Before, she felt that she was finally on the same level with someone. Not superior, unfortunately, but still equal, giving her new energy to move forward. Now though, she was having doubts. Were her familiars, the ones who gave her new hope with their hidden strength and determination, only strong thanks to magic, magic that she herself lacked.

However, Jessie's response drew Louise out of her melancholy. "Sorry," she told him, "but your idea doesn't hold water."

"It doesn't?"

"We was already pros before we ever came to Halkeginia," Meowth said, "Aad we didn't need any outside help learning how to use that weapon."

"Besides," James added, "Louise was able to use the Staff of Destruction too"

"Perhaps," Osmond grudgingly admitted, "but the administration will be watching your progress with great interest."

"Hey," Meowth said, "much as we like to steal the show, we're just side characters. The real star is the Boss, and she's moved up the ladder on her own with our help."

Louise smiled at this. She was still suspicious about the Gandalfr comment, given Meowth's performance against Guiche, but that was a minor point at the moment. The important thing was, she had proved she could defeat the insurmountable obstacles before her and triumph, with or without magic.

"That being said," Meowth continued, "let's get down to the real business. Ya see, we built another Staff for ya."

"What?" Osmond gasped in shock.

"Sure did," Meowth replied. "Thought that since ya miss your old friend, maybe you could keep the old one and stow in this new one as a spare."

"Thank you with all my heart," Osmond said quietly.

"However," Jessie said, "we're not doing this for free."

"What do you want in return?" Osmond asked.

"The treasury is still being repaired," James said, "and has been proven to be vulnerable to robbers. Therefore, we would like permission to use it as a base."

"What?"

"We've already moved most of the supplies in," James said, "and we really don't care for the magical things you have stashed in there other than for décor."

"Plus," Jessie added, "we did more to defend that vault than those seals did against Fouquet, so it'll be in good hands with us."

"Very well," Osmond said, "but we will keep close track of all objects in there."

"Sure thing," Meowth said. "Just wait until the Boss learns that we got her a new base. She'll be so happy." Louise was happy, though not for the new base. No matter what lay in store for her, she knew she had people looking out for her; though, given their track record, perhaps she should have been worried instead.

"Say, Derf," Louise asked, "what did you mean about your old masters? How were they like me?"

"Um…" Derflinger said, "actually, I don't remember."

"Really," Louise said, unconvinced.

"Anyways," Derflinger said leaping off the wall, "gotta run. Have to keep these new bodies in shape, you know."

"Come back here!" Louise yelled, leaping to the ground and entering into pursuit. The answers to her problems were still unclear, but now she knew that her perseverance could overwhelm anything in her way.


	8. Episode VII: The Great Mistake

I do not own Pokémon or Familiar of Zero in any manner, and expect no monetary profit from this endeavor.

Episode VII: The Great Mistake

It was another day at Tristain Academy, and the sun was shining down on the expansive Vesti Court, where a hot battle was unfolding. "Arbok!" Jessie yelled. "Use Wrap!"

"Victreebel!" James commanded. "Use Razor Leaf."

Arbok, accompanied by Victreebel's leaves, shot towards the other end of the battlefield, where the two challengers stood. One resembled the creatures faintly, appearing to be a small, bipedal lizard with a leaf-like tail, but the shining metallic surface indicated otherwise. The machine and his companion, a pink-haired girl, waited for instructions.

"Alright," Meowth said, "Let's do this. Derf, Leaf Blade! Louise, Seismic Toss!" Spinning his razor-sharp tail like a blade, Derflinger cut through the barrage of leaves, tearing them to shreds. Arbok lunged for Louise, but she was waiting and ready. As soon as Arbok was close enough, Louise grabbed Arbok and lifted it into the air. Swinging it over her head like a whip, she launched the serpent like a projectile back at Victreebel. Unable to move in time, Victreebel was hit dead on, causing the two to lie tangled in a pile.

"Okay," Meowth said, "now finish it off with Quick Attack!" Acting in unison, Louise and Derflinger rushed forward, charging full speed at their opponents. As they ran, Louise felt the exhilaration of battle. She felt almost as if she was not a failure, but instead was invincible. Those feelings faded as she felt the pain of slamming into the two Pokémon, but she still felt good.

"How was that?" she asked.

"Great," Jessie told her. "Even though we're still holding back…"

"Jessie," James interrupted, "I thought that you said to always go all…"

"Anyways," Jessie continued, shoving James aside, "You're doing great. Can see that you're getting stronger every session."

"You think so?" she asked.

"Sure 'ting," Meowth assured her. "Why, you just defeated that Fouquet just a few days ago. If that isn't proof, I don't know what is."

"Fouquet was a powerful mage," James noted. "I hope we don't run into her again."

"Don't worry," Louise said. "Given the number of nobles she's robbed, she'll probably face the executioner once she stands trial." She prepared to head back to her room, but turned around when she saw her familiars weren't following. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Kill?"

"Huh?" she said, turning to James, who was pale like her other familiars.

"They…might kill her?"

"Well, yeah," Louise said dismissively, "that's kind of a given. What did you expect?"

"But she's just a crook," Jessie said.

"So?" Louise said pointedly. "She still robbed a number of high-ranking nobles. If that wasn't enough, the fact that she was willing to steal powerful artifacts like the Staff shows that she's dangerous. What's the big deal?"

"They…kill people here," Meowth said slowly, as if he didn't want to believe it.

"Yes, of course they do," Louise said in frustration, "just like everywhere else."

"Not in the League."

"The League?" Louise asked.

"Where we come from," James clarified.

"You…mean they don't execute criminals there?" Louise said, gaping in shock. "That's insane!"

"Funny," Jessie said, "Just had the same thought about here. How can you just kill people like that?"

"They're just criminals," Louise protested, "And mostly commoners at that."

"And what are we?" Meowth demanded. Louise opened her mouth and shut it. "Dat's right," Meowth said, "Here we'd be dead for just a little innocent stealing." "Well," Louise said,

"I suppose that our execution system is a little harsh, but it still is very civilized, with plenty of procedure. In any case, it's still better than dying on a battlefield…" She trailed off, seeing her familiars whiten even further. "Let me guess," she groaned placing a hand to her temple, "You don't have those either." The three dumbly shook their heads. Slumping to the ground, Louise said, "Every time I think I'm starting to understand you familiars, I just become more and more lost."

"You're telling me," Derflinger said. "With all your zeal for battle, I would think that you would be deadly warriors."

"Sure, we fight," James said, "But what does that have to do with it? It's not like we're trying to kill anyone."

"If that's so," Louise said, "I'm surprised you're still alive in the world, given your idiocy."

"Well," Meowth said, "It's not like anyone's really tried to kill us."

"Never. Tried. To. Kill. You." Louise repeated before shouting, "What do you mean nobody's tried to kill you? What about Fouquet? Do you recall how she tried to crush us all with her golems?"

"Yeah," Meowth said clueless, "but what's that have to do with death?"

"Oh, that's right," Louise muttered, "I forgot how you lunatics have a different definition of danger. In any case, just know this. Fouquet has committed crimes suited for the death sentence, and she's likely to receive it. It's a fundamental piece of the law, so there's nothing you can do unless you want to go to Genoa and break her out yourselves." Satisfied that she had said her part, Louise walked off, ignorant of the gleaming looks of her familiars.

Fouquet stewed in her cell, waiting for the inevitable. She would be charged in court the following week. As she had caused a great deal of shame to nobles all over the country, she would most likely either be exiled or be given the death sentence. And given that she had already demonstrated her ability to travel undetected, they would likely favor the latter. At first she had considered escaping, but that hope was in vain. Everything in her room, from bed to eating utensils, was made of wood, preventing her from using her infamous Earth magic. It didn't help that the prison's foundations were designed to resist magic. No, there was no hope for her anymore. She just hoped that her sister never learned what became of her; poor Tiffania…

She was disturbed from her musings by a steady pounding on the bars. Looking over, she saw one of the guards waiting, carrying a tray of food ill fit for a group of pigs. The prison administration liked little overtures like these to show the prisoners their powerlessness. Fouquet wasn't bothered though; she had had to eat many unsavory things while on the move. Ignoring the jailer, she silently took the tray of food.

Her stoic attitude was broken when she noticed a small book resting on top of the food. "Oh," the man said casually, "Some admirer sent this in as a gift for you. Nothing dangerous in it, so no worries in leaving it with you. You might want to pull it out of the soup before it gets too soggy though." He walked off humming some military tune. Glaring at the back of the guard, she frantically pulled the book out of the soup and began to dry it with what little material she had. She had always had a respect for knowledge, and the soaking of the book horrified her. They called her a criminal for stealing, but she never damaged them; destroying such a work was a true crime. The guard probably hadn't even realized the gravity of his action, simply thinking of it as one more way to taunt her. Typical of a noble, to care for his own amusement and disregards the feelings of others.

Tearing her mind away from such melancholy, she began to examine her unexpected gift. Who would be willing to send her a book, especially one in such good- albeit soggy- condition? Her suspicion was aroused when she saw a familiar symbol etched on the side of the cover. She had seen that mark just a few weeks ago, boldly placed on the uniforms of those responsible for her imprisonment. Team Rocket. Those strange familiars still remained an enigma to her. On the one hand, she had them to blame for her current state. On the other, they intrigued her. They certainly weren't nobles; they seemed almost like her during her treasure hunting craze, before she shifted to serious theft. Yet they were able to overpower her without using magic. Well, at least, not the familiars. Their master on the other hand… Fouquet regretted not paying enough attention to that girl. If the familiars were Gandalfr, did that mean…

Setting those thoughts aside, she began to inspect the book, wondering what surprise they had in store for her. A small piece of paper fell out, revealing a message in a cryptic tongue. No matter though; Fouquet was highly adept at deciphering unusual forms of writing. This particular language was quite familiar to her, as it was often found beside unique artifacts such as the Staff. She had made considerable progress when at the Academy, but was stymied by the lack of resources to examine. Now, though, she had a large selection of the language, and the last pieces of the puzzle closed gaps.

The message simply stated, _"Coming to help. Will be soon."_ Fouquet sat down on the hard floor with a pensive look. She did not know whether to laugh at the irony, or to scream at it instead. Her capturers were now going to be her rescuers. The question was, what would their price be? The more she thought about it though, she became less concerned. From what she saw of those familiars, they were highly unpredictable. Most likely, they only cared about freeing her, for whatever whim that passed through them. If they wanted more, well, she was used to giving people the slip, and there were plenty of places to hide once outside the city.

For now, she decided to take a closer look at the book they had sent her. She had not had any true contact with the outside world since her capture, and a good book would be the perfect way to quench her anxiety. Examining the cover, she made it out to read "Power of the Earth." A good omen, she supposed, given her affinity. Slowly but surely, stumbling through translations and strange terms, Fouquet began to read the book. The more she read though, the faster her heart pounded. _Was it even possible?_

"So it's time to go then?" Meowth asked James as they quietly crept through the school halls, tensing at every piece of the moon that shone on them.

"Just got word through the grapevine of servants," James said as they hauled gear down the hall, carefully scanning side to side in fear of detection. "Our package reached its destination."

"Are you sure it got through though?" Meowth questioned. "What if someone reads the note?"

"Don't worry," James said, "The note was in our language, not the language from here. Though I'm not sure about the book."

"Don't worry," Meowth assured him. "I got that book back home from the Boss, I mean the old one."

"Meowth!" Jessie yelled. "How could you steal a book from a Boss, even if it's an ex-Boss?"

"It was an accident," he said defensively. "I was going in to grab a report and grabbed the thing off his desk by mistake. Afterwards, I was too scared to bring it back. It's been years now, so we're probably safe. It wasn't anything interesting anyways, just the Boss ranting about a bunch of metaphorical stuff; I fell asleep halfway through it."

"That's alright then," James said, "though I'm still a little nervous about this."

"Too late to turn back now," Jessie said. "We're firmly committed. There's no turning around, not even if the Boss finds us."

"Is that so?" a voice spoke from around the corner in front of them. The team froze as Louise stepped out.

"Boss," Meowth said, "it's not what you think…"

"Save it," Louise said, "I know what you familiars are up to; you're heading for the capital and national prison, aren't you?"

The team sagged in defeat. "You…found out?" Jessie asked, as if she couldn't believe it.

"I'm not stupid," Louise replied. "You three jump on any adventure with the slightest incentive, orders or not. So I've been keeping an eye on you for surprises. And I noticed that you've started hoarding supplies ever since our little chat."

"Look," Meowth said, "we'se decided to help the pitiful excuse for a thief, and nothing's gonna stop us."

"I guess it's come to that," Louise said, sighing. Team Rocket tensed, wondering if Louise was going to try and stop them; given her training, it was very possible she'd succeed.

"I'm going too."

"Huh?" The three fell flat on the ground in confusion.

"I'm not sure I agree with you on your stance here," Louise said, "But it does feel a little wrong. Besides," she huffed, "I can't let you three run off on your own. You'd fumble in an instant and ruin my reputation."

"We've done well so far," James said.

"You don't know what you're getting into," Louise said. "We are going to break in Genoa Prison, the most secure prison in the country. It rests in the heart of the capital, a place where we already have a bounty on our head, if I need to remind you. Because of its location near the royal palace, a number of the guards come from the palace, and are experienced mages."

"Does that mean we give up?" Meowth asked.

"No," Louise said, raising a finger with excitement, "I have a plan. With my plan and whatever you come up with, we'll be unstoppable."

It had been a couple of days since the message, and Fouquet was becoming slightly impatient. Those Gandalfrs had to hurry up if they wanted to free her before she stood trial. But, she wasn't really concerned with that. Ever since she had received the book, she had continued to read nonstop. Although she had finished the book once, she was rereading it for more insights into the author's mind.

_I was dissatisfied with my mother's plans. With her wealth, she could take any city in the world as her own, but she was merely content to hide in the shadows, caring only about gathering further material wealth. A noble objective, to be sure, but useless unless such power was put to use. I wanted to use all our power against the League, against those moralistic fools who sought to keep us from our rightful place. It was with this mindset that I set out into the world, believing that I could accomplish what my mother could not even comprehend. Many years would pass until I realized the childish naïveté that my simplistic goals were._

Fouquet found the speaker in the book to be a very interesting figure. Much like herself, he had set out to change the world. But unlike her own, disillusioned path, she could see how his own experiences shaped him to better fulfill his destiny. And if so, what did that mean for her?

Still, her revelations only increased her anxiety, as she truly wanted to escape now. Plans bubbled through her mind, dreams that she had to see come to pass. Now where were her rescuers? One day though, she heard a strange conversation between the guards.

"I still think that this is a waste of time Pierre. Are we really letting those clowns into the greatest prison in all of Tristain just for a cleanup check?"

"Now, now Gils. The warden made it clear that they can only clean the halls. The cells will remain secure as ever."

"Still, it irks me that we have to submit to those bumbling fool! Do you know how many times they've gone back through the garrison? First to dust. Then to mop. Next to inspect. And, once they spill their full load of trash, start over again. It's driving me crazy. If I could get my hands on whoever sent these fools to us…"

"Don't forget that they have permission from the Princess. I saw the letter myself, and it's certainly authentic. I used to work under her, you know."

"Yes, yes, I am well aware of your oh so grand royal career- as an ink holder! If you want to boast of your talents, then write a complaint to the Court. We have enough problems keeping these rogues under control without incompetent interference."

"Well, I did not lower myself to actually write on her Majesty's papers. Someone had to hold the tray up for her to access the ink, didn't they? In any case, it wouldn't do us any good to complain. Why bother? We'll get a little extra help around here, and the expenses won't come out of our pockets."

"Okay, you're right. I got myself too worked up. We'll just let those Zeros do their job and then…"

Fouquet brightened at this. At Tristain Academy, there was only one person in particular who had that special title attached to her, and her familiars had taken that dubious title for themselves as well. Sure enough, a suspicious figure soon appeared in front of her cell. Although the figure at first appeared to be a small, black-haired boy, a closer glance revealed stray strands of pink hair pushing out.

"Miss Valliere," Fouquet said, very pleased, "I take it you are leading my soon-to-be liberators."

"Unfortunately," Louise sighed, "and don't say my name around here; if you need to call me anything, just refer to me as Saito."

"Saito?" Fouquet mused. "That's an interesting name."

"Well," Louise said, "I needed some sort of disguise to be those three's supervisor, and a name to go with it. Leave it to Siesta to come up with the most bizarre name. I mean, who would ever name their son Saito, a couple of village idiots?"

"I think it's a very nice name for such a nice young man," Fouquet replied, smirking.

"Anyways," Louise said, moving away from that subject, "here." She carefully fastened a small lock to one of the bars. Attached to the end of the lock was a strange metallic item. "You might want to stay at the far edge of the room until the bomb goes off," she warned.

"When will it go off?" Fouquet asked.

"Tonight," Louise said, "when the two moons come full circle. We need the time until then to set up enough diversions to keep the guards busy. Once you're free though," she said, "it's every man for himself, so make yourself scarce. And just pray that we don't meet again."

"Miss…Sir Saito," Fouquet said as Louise turned to leave.

"What?" Louise asked.

"Tell your familiars that I'm grateful for their help," she told her, "And that they've given me new hope for the future."

"Sure, whatever," Louise said dismissively. "I'd better get going before a guard notices I'm slacking my supposed duties here. The false-man then scurried off, leaving Fouquet to return to her book. Where was she? Oh, that's right, the journey to Orre.

Elsewhere, the other members of the scheme were hard at work. Because there was no way to ask for directions to Fouquet's cell without arousing suspicion, the team had split up, each covering an area of the dungeon, armed with bombs for when they finally found the cell. Many more bombs than one would expect. The original plan had been to plant an explosive on every cell, resulting in a mass prison break, but Louise put an end to that. Fouquet's was the only cell they could blow up. However, that did not prevent them from hiding bombs in any other nooks they could find, ranging from around pillars to under dining tables to in between stacks of weapons.

Like the rest of the team, James was going cell to cell, planting timers while merrily scrubbing away at the floor. Okay, so not really merrily, given "her" current maid disguise. Still, he was mostly content. Although the outfit had caused him problems with the guards until "Lord Saito" intervened, he wasn't overly concerned. However embarrassing these disguises were for him, at least they offered a large degree of security. As long as he had this dress on, nobody would be suspicious, and their plan could go off without a hitch.

As James passed by a cell though, he suddenly whipped his head around in shock. The figure inside was very odd, and at first appeared to be a young lady, garbed in evocative clothing. However, the masculine features betrayed the person's gender. James stared aghast as he slowly began to recognize the unusual prisoner. No, it couldn't be…

"Ah, good morning to you, Master Mott," the man said, dutifully addressing a small empty potion bottle beside him. "Another morning for us in exile, isn't it?" James watched on dumbfounded as Mott continued to have an animated conversation with the expressionless container. "Oh, you are right, milord," Mott said, "it's all the fault of that knight Siesta, the false maid who betrayed us all. If we found her here, we would…"

James slowly backed away from the bars, not wishing to be noticed, when the radio on his apron suddenly went off. "James," Louise shouted through it, "we found her! Finish up the cleaning and get ready for the next phase."

James desperately tried to mute the voice, but it was too late. Mott froze at the noise, and his eyes turned manic as he spotted James out of the corner of his eye. "You!" Mott shouted, lunging at the bars. "Sir Siesta, I hereby challenge you to a duel to the death. Or if you wish mercy, I can always offer you other pleasures; I'm such a nice Maid, don't you think?"

James' only response was to run away frantically, while Mott's maddening and feminine laughter echoed through the corridors. "Come back, fair night," the voice called, "This Maid only wants to play with you. Come back, and we can dance while I sing. La la la la la, do me ri, I will kill thee!

"Oh," he added, calling back to the now-vanished opponent, "and thank you for this lovely gift. It will make a beautiful decoration on our little porch." After attaching a small chain and item to the bars, "Maid" went back to tending to her master, all the while promising revenge on that maid-knight when they next met.

That night, a man paused in his walk to adjust his hood, taking care to cloak his eyes. His credentials up front would silence the bureaucratic eye, but still, he could not risk a rumor getting started by some guard who recognized him. It was unlikely, as he rarely visited Tristain, preferring to stay in his homeland. But destiny would draw Tristain into the fold of the Founder soon enough, and if enough people later recalled his noticeable face, it would be…destabilizing. Even so, he paused by a balcony to allow the double moonlight to blend with his face, reveling in the Founder's light. The Founder's legacy would be restored soon enough, but for now he would contend to the necessary pruning that any plan needed. Pawns needed to bend to those above them, or otherwise be plucked as useless hindrances to the main body.

He had been about to check on Fouquet about her botched job, but changed his mind upon noticing a distinct figure lurking by the prison gate. The man wore a white mask to hide his face, but his stride, seemingly humble but filled with condescension, made his identity all but clear. From beneath his hood, the man let loose a brief smirk of triumph. It seemed that the pawns were beginning to move. That man had been watched with great interest for years; his interest in the Holy Land ensured his dedication, if not loyalty, to the plan. However, the masked man had already found an employer. In most cases, this would be met with death. Yet the hooded man's master had bade him to leave the pawn be for now. He would serve the floating island well until its fall, and then he would be open for the taking. Likewise, the same could be ultimately done with Fouquet. In any case, Fouquet's memory was sealed, ensuring that the full depth of her assignment was kept hidden. Therefore, best to leave the 'new age' to its own devices. The Reconquista would serve its purpose and ultimately fall to a greater foe. He supposed that one should feel remorse for allowing the naïve pawn to be destroyed by one that would inevitably become their enemy, but, as his master said, sacrifices needed to be made for the sake of grace.

In any case, he had another prisoner to visit, one that would not be met with the same lenience as Fouquet. Matilda was simply a vagabond, who they had not disclosed the full details to. The man he was heading to though had known much more. They had put too much faith in the fool's promised formulas. He had seemed competent at the time, and the first shipments had been satisfactory. But then that idiot had to blow his entire cover. And as such, he was a potential leak that needed to be filled.

"Greetings, Count Mott," the figure said, eyeing the prisoner with distaste. Tristain had been unsure what to do with Mott. Such treason should have been met with the death penalty, but his actions had made the palace suspicious. It appeared that Mott had been en route to meet an employer, but the confusion regarding his motives made it impossible to tell who. Mott was widely known to be a highly conservative man, hardly the one to support a shaky conspiracy. The figure knew this all to be true; Mott certainly was a conservative man, as his business with them proved. Therefore, the crown was loath to kill him, at least until they extracted the information. However, the events of the escape left Mott deranged. Still containing vital information, yet still dangerous and unable to answer questions, he had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Genoa, in the hopes that his sanity would return in time along with his knowledge. The cloaked figure, on the other hand, knew that Mott's case was hopeless. The potion was a well-kept secret, known only to the higher echelons in Gallia and his homeland; given the utility of the potion, little research was done for a cure, which would erase the whole point of it.

"Why, if it isn't the little messenger boy," Mott said, curtseying, "come back to speak with Lord Mott. Just be a second," he told him, "And I'll fetch him for you."

"I want to speak with you, not your master," the figure said hastily. He had heard rumors of Mott's identity mix-up, and had no intention of allowing him to descend into his madness. Not until he got the answers he was looking for.

"You may," Mott said, giving a smile that would almost seem sweet if the rest of his face didn't look insane. "Should we talk in here, or in my lord's guest chambers? There's plenty of intimacy there…"

"I wish to know what happened to the potions that were ordered," he snapped.

"Well," Mott replied, frowning, "I brought the Titan Potion with me when I fled. We were going to give it to you, and we would be rich, and Mott would be king…"

"Then where is it?" he asked.

"Somewhere," he replied disinterestedly, "but who knows? It was the right potion, so I poured it into Mott so he could defeat those nasty men trying to hurt him. But it didn't help, did it? Though it did help me; I feel better than ever."

"That is good to hear," the man replied, trying to discern the puzzle. So Mott had taken the wrong potion by mistake. A pity he had drunk that potion; his master had been waiting for that potion as well as the main one. "So what happened to the real Titan Potion?" he pressed. "Did it burn down with the mansion?"

"Maybe," Mott pondered, pursing her lips in a feminine way, "but Master Mott doesn't think so. Oh no, the maid must have taken it away."

"The maid?" he asked. Mott kept a number of servants for his amusement, and switched them off as they broke. "Which one?"

Looking agitated, Mott said, "The bad maid, of course. The bad, wicked, evil maid who tricked poor little Mott."

"Do you know what she looks like?" he asked. Perhaps he could get an answer out of this interrogation after all. To his dismay though, Mott answered, "He was a knight in shining armor, with breasts that weren't his and hair that wasn't his. Oh, he was a nasty one, and we will have fun when we catch him."

Rolling his eyes beneath his cloak, the man drew out his staff. It was obvious that he would get no straight answers from Mott, so it was best to move on to the second stage of the visit. Ignorant of his looming doom, Mott continued to rant. "He was here, did you know? We saw him just minutes or weeks ago. If we could just break out of this place, we would kill him and beat him and…"

The shadowed man prepared to thrust his staff through the opening, effectively killing Mott without any true evidence, when a sudden explosion rocked him to the side. It almost seemed like an earthquake, as explosion after explosion rumbled in the prison, shaking the floor like a boat in a hurricane. By the time he recovered his stance, he could see that Mott had fled, his bars utterly destroyed by the blasts. Alarms began to blare as the tower was suddenly put under attack.

The hooded man moved to the window, his lunar eyes swiftly looking around for observers, and then launched himself off the wall, to land atop a dragon. His steed flew off into the night, while the man looked back at the crumbling fortress. This was certainly an unexpected event, one that his master would be most interested in. In any case, there was no use to remain any further; his role in events needed to be concealed until the proper time, and they could always catch the targets later when they desired. Staring up at the moons, he dared _Run and hide fools, however good it will do you. A day will come when you will realize that you cannot hide from the true power that rules across the lands._

"Ready for the motto?" Louise asked over the radio. She was hidden in the bushes on a hill overlooking Tristaina, giving her a perfect view- with binoculars- of the prison tower. Having securely barred the door to the basement, where the guards were now locked up sans wands having filed up there for "inspection", Louise had promptly exited the building, her part of the mission complete. While her familiars were still very distinctive, the fact that they were nobles kept them off the usual census lists, granting them a level of anonymity. She on the other hand had her standing as a noble to maintain, and she couldn't count on her disguise holding once chaos broke loose.

"Ready!" James' voice boomed from the other side of the radio.

"Oh, and Boss," Meowth said, "thanks for helping us out with dis. That fake signature really did the trick. You're definitely learning the tricks of the trade."

"I'm just making sure that you familiars don't cause any more blandishes to my honor than possible. You'd cause problems either way, so I can at least supervise," Louise retorted before changing the subject to, "and make sure you say Fouquet. Not Rocket or Zero or anything else. If we ever get implicated in this, well, I don't even want to imagine what will happen."

"Don't worry," Jessie said, "we'll take care of our end here. Just set off the fireworks and we can get this party started."

"Okay," she said, beginning to push magic into the remote control for the countdown sequence. Team Rocket had come up with an ingenious way of enhancing Louise's explosions. She found that she could channel them through the remote to the explosives, making the ensuing payload ever potent. Of course, it caused the device to self-destruct in her face as a result, but it still worked well. The metal item began to flash erratically as it overloaded, shattering into a cloud of dust. Louise ignored the malfunctioning equipment and peered at the mighty prison complex, hoping that the plan worked. For a second, there seemed to be nothing, and she sighed in despair. However, then small dots of fire began to spawn all across the walls, like pieces of bright moss forming on a rock. Instead of remaining firm though, the stone crumbled in an instant, causing entire segments of the majestic structure to tumble to the ground.

Waiting until she knew the broadcast was complete, Louise reactivated the radio. Everything okay in there?" she asked.

"Um," Meowth's voice said nervously, "sure. Could you call back later please? We're a little busy now."

Frowning suspiciously, Louise asked, "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Meowth answered unconvincingly. "Everything's…look out!" he yelled, the radio turning to static.

Cursing to the Founder, Louise turned to Derflinger. "Now what?" she asked.

"Your familiars seem to have a tendency to get out of trouble as easily as they get themselves into it," Derflinger, now an iron mouse, said reassuringly. "We just have to have faith that they can pull this off. Still," he added, "Might want to make sure the balloon's ready for a quick take-off."

"Team Fouquet," Jessie shouted into the microphone, "blast of at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now," James said, "or we'll steal everything in sight."

"Meowth, dat's a rap!" Meowth exclaimed, turning off the stereo.

Although Team Rocket had let Louise handle much of the planning, such as the signatures she used to pass them off as workers, they had insisted on one vital point: they had to give a motto. After much debate, Louise had acquiesced, on the condition that they use the garbled term of "Team Fouquet" to hide their identity. To deliver the speech, they had installed a network of surround sound throughout the prison; the speakers were so loud, parts of Tristainia could actually hear the motto from outside the jail. Needless to say, the enhanced speech exhilarated Team Zero. Never had they given such a grand introduction. It was a shame that it wasn't the right title, but it appeared to be a good sign for their success in the mission.

"Alright," Jessie said, setting the equipment down, "let's grab Fouquet and get out of here before anything goes wrong."

"Yoohoo!" The team froze as a masculine yet high pitched, almost girly voice called to them from behind them. Turning around, they saw a bizarre figure slowly walking down the hall towards them. It appeared to be a maid of some sort, but James and Meowth gasped in horror as they recognized the person.

Not noticing her teammates' reaction, Jessie called out, "Listen, you're a maid I guess? This is a serious robbery we're doing here, so get out before someone gets hurt."

"I just want to play with my maid-knight," the figure said in a deranged singsong voice. "I'll hug him and drown him and hang him out to dry."

"That's no maid," James said forebodingly. "

Then who is it?" Jessie asked.

"That's Mott," Meowth said.

"Mott?" Jessie exclaimed. "But I thought that he went mad or something."

"Oh no," Mott said, "Not mad at all. Mott is perfectly fine. See?" she said, holding out a small bottle, "He's as mighty as ever."

"Oh, that's nice," Jessie said quietly, exchanging nervous glances with the others. "We'll just be going now," she said, edging away. "Don't want to disturb your cleaning."

However, Mott then spotted James, his complacent attitude replaced by fury. "That's him!" she shouted. "The maid who is a man who is Master Mott's most hated enemy!"

"Um, hi," James said weakly. "I don't suppose we can just settle this peacefully?"

Slipping back into faux innocence, Mott replied, "Don't worry, I just want to play!"

"Play?" James asked nervously.

"Of course," Mott said, excitement building in her voice. "We can kick your head and juggle it and lots more.

"But first," she said sternly, "you hurt poor little Mott, so he wants me to hurt you.

"Nothing personal," he added, "just Mott's orders." With that, he drew out a wooden mallet that she had liberated from the kitchen and charged forward.

Jessie and James wasted no time, letting loose Arbok and Weezing. "Meowth," Jessie said, "Get going. We'll handle things here."

Meowth ignored her, trying to contact the Boss. However, he changed his mind as the first of Mott's water attacks surged forward, hitting the device and short-circuiting it. "Well," Meowth said, dashing off, "that's all the incentive I need. See ya!"

"Man," Jessie complained, "I thought we settled this a couple episodes ago."

"The narrators need some kind of fight for this episode," James pointed out.

"True," Jessie admitted. "Let's just show this lunatic not to mess with Team Zero!"

"Weezing," James commanded, "Sludge!" Weezing fired a blot of poison at Mott. Following in suit, Arbok spat out Acid. However, he stood his ground and let the attacks hit him dead on.

"What?" Jessie exclaimed in shock. Although the corrosive poisons burnt away Mott's maid outfit, he seemed unaffected, mist floating off of him.

"Count Mott is very wise," Mott said, beaming at her imagined master. "He knows much about poisons, from immunizing against the ones that tickle your blood to using water to counter those that burn the flesh. And he was so kind to teach me all his secrets. Isn't that wonderful?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "My, these are certainly yucky lice, spewing icky waste everywhere. It's up to the Maid of Mott to clean things up!" Mott began to spin in circles in a dance that would be beautiful if not for the water shooting from his hammer.

The torrents drove Arbok back to Jessie and knocked out Wheezing with a solid blow. "Return!" James said, calling Weezing back to its ball.

"Perhaps it would be best to flee," Jessie suggested.

"Funny," James said, "I was thinking that same thing."

As Mott finished his ballet dance, he saw that Jessie and James were dashing off in a desperate attempt to evade him. "You won't get away that easily, Sir Siesta!" Mott shouted, giving chase. Jessie and James ran as hard as they could, but eventually stopped at a dead end. "Nowhere to run, my silly little knight!" Mott called, slowly approaching them with relish.

"Listen, you," Jessie said, "we're Team Zero, and we're not going to let anyone defeat us, certainly not a madman like you."

"Ah," Mott said, "you care for this maid who is a man. Perhaps you are a girl who is a man. In any case," he warned threateningly, "Siesta, boy or girl, is coming with me; she will be wed to Lord Mott, or he shall keep a sweet maid like I company."

"We'll see about that," James said, releasing Victreebel's Pokéball.

Watching Victreebel engulf James, Mott narrowed his eyes. That is the same familiar you used last time, maidman!" she yelled in fury. "Now I shall send those naughty little pets packing; the only pet we need is you, Siesta." Mott launched another spray of water at James. However, Victreebel held fast, absorbing the water readily as a Grass type. Refusing to give in, Mott continued his barrage, and it seemed that he might triumph in the end.

However, Jessie got an idea. "Arbok!" she ordered. "Swim up the water and attack Mott." Entering the field of water, Arbok began to slowly but surely make its way up towards Mott. Little time remained though; Victreebel looked ready to faint against the constant onslaught, Grass type or not. In the end though, Arbok proved triumphant, bursting out on Mott's end of the water magic with a fearsome cry. "Break the hammer!" Jessie yelled. Within seconds of contact with Arbok's powerful tail, the wooden mallet shattered, depriving Mott of his makeshift wand.

"Well, that's that," Jessie said confidently, turning to leave with James. "Next time find some other person to stalk; can't have us look like the Twerps."

"You think this is over?" Mott laughed hysterically, drawing out a chef's knife. "A mage might give up, but Maid's a maid!" Taking advantage of their surprise, he lunged forward.

Mott almost made it to his targets, but was cut off when a wall of earth appeared between him and the duo. Turning to the left, he saw Fouquet approaching, armed with a wand that Meowth had supplied. "It appears that these people did you an injustice," she observed, "just as they did with me. However, I also owe them a debt, so if you wish to continue to fight you must first face me."

Seeing the determined opposition, Mott backed away and bowed. "It had been a pleasure serving you all today," he said sweetly. "Sorry to leave on such sudden notice. But we can pick up on the fun later.

"And Siesta," he told James, "there can only be one Maid for Mott's hand, and that will be me!" Releasing a cloudy mist, Mott vanished.

"Thanks," Jessie said to Fouquet, "Maybe you are a decent crook after all."

"No," Fouquet replied wistfully, "you were right when you called me a wannabe. Even in my struggle against the world, I almost thought it was hopeless. You three though have showed me a new path."

"You're…welcome?" James said, clueless.

"Tell me," she asked, "that book you lent to me. Do you really come from a world like that?"

"Sure do," Meowth said, "and you can keep the book if ya want it. We snagged it by mistake from the old Boss' office, but didn't really find much use out of it; we really aren't avid readers. Here," he added, tossing another booklet to her, "You can take the Rocket handbook too if you want. We just skimmed the thing and left it at that. Books bore the heck out of us most of the time."

"You should reconsider," Fouquet said, "they can be very enlightening." She then moved towards a hole in the wall, a golem appearing to carry her.

"You sure you don't want to join Team Rocket?" Jessie asked. "We could always use more help."

"Thank you," Fouquet said, "but I have my own dreams to follow. Even if my plans parallel your own," she warned, "Our differences may lead us to conflict in the future. The next time we meet, we will be enemies."

"Well," James said, "right now, you're a friend, and that's all that matters."

"Perhaps it is," Fouquet mused. "I shall have to remember that. May your team continue to surprise this stagnant world."

Watching Fouquet leave, Jessie said, "Now we need to get going to. Otherwise, the Boss is going to kill us."

"Too late," Louise's voice came from behind.

"Boss!" Meowth exclaimed. "We thought you were gonna stay behind with the balloon."

"I was," Louise said, "until you three seemed to need to be bailed out again. But," she admitted, "you've done pretty well. Now let's go."

"This was our greatest hour yet!" Jessie boasted.

"Our secret hour," Louise reminded, "and don't forget that. It's bad enough that you guys caused enough trouble to make me come back; this was a waste of time."

"Not entirely," Derflinger commented. "Those goods you snagged are a prize at least. The familiar really reflects the summoner."

"Shut up!" Louise hissed, trying to hide a large bag behind her.

"What bag?" James asked curiously, peering in before Louise could stop him. The three stared in shock at the contents: gold coins, jewelry, a book- anything the prison locked up that wasn't people.

"This…is for us?" Jessie asked in awe.

"Well," Louise said, "the quickest way in was a hole blown into the vault, and I thought that I might as well grab some things so you couldn't make any excuses to dawdle later. It's not like I'm agreeing with your convoluted logic," she emphasized, almost desperately. "I still think this whole plan was a dumb idea you dragged me into."

"Sure, whatever you say, Boss," Meowth said warmly as the trio walked off, hands and paws draped over their Boss.

Fouquet paused in her escape from the now frantic town. With all the confusion that those familiars and mage had wrought, her departure was secure. Right now, she decided to take a brief respite to ponder the new ideas floating in her head.

Could it really be done? She had lived most of her life with a fiery yet grim outlook, knowing that nothing would ever change. Now though…

_I spent most of my early life pursuing my dreams only as others saw them. In time, I realized that they all could not grasp the fundamental truths for victory. Gonzap, Evice, Greevil… I owe them all much for the lessons they taught me, but they never achieved the understanding of the world necessary to change it. In the end, I knew that I had to leave them behind and forge my own path, with I as the leader and not the follower. If I could not take my dream into my own hands, who would?_

No, she could not turn back on her dream now. But what was her dream really? It now seemed childish, focusing only on revenge and not the actions that could change the world that oppressed her. At least she could see the dream better now, clearer than ever. She would think about what she had learned, and then she would strike. The writer of this book may never have planned for it to end up in her hands, but she would treasure its teachings and follow his example. She would make her own power, and while she might be forced to serve at times, she would be ruled by no one but herself.

Fouquet got back to her feet, ready to leave posthaste, only to freeze as the razor tip of a blade softly but threateningly rubbed against her neck. Slowly turning around, she gazed up a man with a white mask. "Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth," he said in a gentlemanly yet dangerous voice, "I would like to speak with you about an important matter…"


	9. Episode VIII: Balltime Blues

I do not own Pokémon or Zero no Tsukaima, nor do I own the songs; they are the work of Nintendo, J.C. Staff, Hirokazu Tanaka, ICHIKO, and Sbanhatti. A thanks to Hymn of Ragnarok for his beta work.

Episode VIII: Balltime Blues

It was yet another day at Tristain Academy. Classes were over for the day, but the students were still hard at work. Most were busy due to the homework assigned by the teachers, but still had the time to chat, nap, and enjoy all the recreational leisure granted to nobility. Busy? Those fools had no idea of what real work entailed.

So thought Louise as she struggled to hoist herself over a wall. Her fingers desperately sought out a handhold, but she had to be careful, lest the hastily-placed bricks fall apart. For most nobles, "work" was a small pinprick that they could claim was a wound, but Louise was becoming well-acquainted with true drudgery 'thanks' in part to her addled familiars. Today they had decided to send her through an 'obstacle course.' Ha! More like a warzone, with their inability to comprehend danger. By this point she was dead exhausted from surviving- barely- the numerous challenges in place.

What were they again? Let's see, there was the set of pitfalls she kept stumbling into; eventually she just got sick of them and simply decided to tunnel between them- worked out fine until she reached the subsequent minefield. Oh, and how could she forget that flamethrower they set up- especially when it ended up setting the entire area ablaze? It was a wonder she wasn't worse off, though her clothes begged to differ. Mud dripped between rips in the torn and singed uniform to blacken her skin. Even her bright pink hair was only visible in small tufts, the rest having been darkened by dirt and fire. Thank the Founder they had set up the training outside the Academy, so she wouldn't have to listen to her classmates' jeers at her scampering around like a commoner.

She wasn't able to hold onto those thoughts long though, as a brick unexpectedly slipped from the wall as she grappled with it. Soon, many more began to fall to the ground. Louise leaped from piece to piece, refusing to let her familiars' stupidity kill her this time. Her socks bounced off the highest piece of rubble- she'd left her shoes behind at the last trap- and propelled her through the air. Just barely, she managed to land atop the bridge platform. She took a couple of breaths to recover, and then raised her head when she heard shouting. At the far end of the long walkway she could see her familiars sitting in bleachers.

Although, it was difficult to see them fully, given what lay between them and her. Pendulums swung back and forth between gaps in the floor; they were moving fast, but she could still make out their razor-sharp edges. Certain parts of the platform seemed…off, as if they could collapse at any minute. The few parts of the bridge that seemed to be actually stable covered with a continual assault of arrows, as the programmed "Bowyer Barrel" cannons continued their steady fire. And then, to make everything perfect, Louise heard something beeping behind her. She whipped around to see a small cylinder, with symbols slowly changing on the screen. Louise was starting to understand her familiars' script, but even without that she would have known what was coming. Explosions. Again.

"You're doing great, Boss!" Meowth cheered from the sidelines.

"Just a little more," Jessie said, "and you'll be done."

Just a little more. It was aggravating how they could say that so casually, as if they hadn't spent the last hour trying to kill her. She was tempted to just end it all now. One explosion, given her increasing power, would enough to turn the entire obstacle course to ashes, making the session moot. Yet, she knew, begrudgingly, that without the increased power she'd built up in the exercises, her explosion would not be strong enough to destroy the whole thing- if anything, it would make her straits even worse when the traps collapsed around and on her. Somehow, no matter how crazy her familiars' training projects were, they worked in their own way. Plus, their faces were so happy, so proud of her. It gave her a special feeling she hardly felt elsewhere. No, she was not going to let her team- familiars- down.

And so, she did not yell at them, but instead closed her eyes and stood in place like a serene statue. As the seconds ticked down though, her right eye opened up just a tad. "Any time now, Derflinger," Louise said.

She felt a metal rodent weigh down on her shoulder. "Heh," the living weapon said, "you know me. What's life without a few odds to fight?"

"Just don't fall behind now," Louise said. "I originally got you as a sword, so you'd better work as one."

"Sure, sure," Derf said. "Always blame the sword when something goes wrong. Never the wielder. Good thing I have someone like you, even if your chest is too low."

What was it about her friends- servants- that made her want to hug and kill them simultaneously? At least she knew the true point of Derf's quip: trust. "On the count of ten," Louise said, "we'll go for a Scyther-Marowak combo. Ten."

"Partner," Derflinger said uneasily, "you do know that the countdown only has five."

"Seven," Louise continued. She shut out Derflinger for the moment, knowing that he'd do his job when the time was right. At six, she stomped her right foot hard into the floor board directly behind her. The shabby construction failing to hold the board in place, it snapped up in an arc that passed over her head. As Louise reached five, the beeping was replaced by the roar of an explosion. Louise suddenly opened her eyes and leaped upward. Her feet caught onto the spinning board and held firm as it landed on the ground, only to be pushed forward by the rapidly expanding explosion. The force propelled the board forward with Louise riding on it. As they flew across the first jump, arrows shot at Louise from both sides.

"Zero!" she shouted. On cue, Derflinger transformed back into a massive sword that was caught by Louise. Once, the weight would have made her fall over, but now she held it as deftly as a wand. Slashing left and right in a frantic yet precise fashion, she cut the arrows into kindling before they could reach her.

However, Louise's mind paused for a brief moment, as she pictured herself in the white dress under the moons' light. By the time she remembered to return her vision to the setting around her, it was almost too late. Several arrows had grazed her arm; she'd have to fix those up before the next night. It would have been worse, but Derflinger had changed into his Pikachu mode and was working to keep them at bay. Doing so destabilized the board though, and Louise had to lean hard to the left to avoid careening into one of the trap doors. "

Watch it, Partner!" he said. "The people who get their heads in the clouds only keep them there when their bodies are chopped off."

"I've got it, I've got it," she said. With a little work she managed to get her ride back on course, heading straight for the last gap and the massive pendulum swinging between it. Louise had already come up with a plan to get past it. She would leap up over the entire contraption and land at the finish line. She'd have to sacrifice the surfboard, but its use was almost up anyways.

However, Louise was feeling especially excited that day. On whim, she did not bend her knees for springing up, but instead braced them as she hurtled headlong for the obstacle. "Partner, did you finally flip?" Derflinger asked. "This is crazy even for me."

"Just sit tight," Louise said calmly. Somehow, even the thought of getting crushed again did not seem to trouble her. "We're going to go straight through it. With our determination, we'll surely get to the other side."

"That's the way to go!" Derflinger said, regaining his energy. "Give it all you've got!" As the riders reached the jump, the pendulum had just descended to directly in front of them. With the metal only inches from her, Louise punched forward while putting her explosive magic into it. The strike pierced a hole through the trap, just wide enough for Louise and Derflinger to skid through. The board slid to a stop at the checkpoint, and the rest of the team came down from the bleachers.

"Great job, kiddo!" Meowth said.

"You're really getting the hang of it," James said.

"Anyways," Jessie said, "that's enough for today, Boss. We'd better head to dinner now."

"Okay," Louise said, a smile almost permanently plastered to her face.

The team had cringed in preparation for the usual reaction, and face faulted at the unexpected acceptance. "Boss, are you feeling alright?" James asked in concern. His face was hanging in shock. "You seem very chipper today."

"I'm just in a good mood," Louise said, "and nothing you blockhead familiars do today will be able to bother me."

"That's good," Meowth said, "because we'll be doing a special move session tonight." Despite her excitement, Louise could barely hold back her worry at Meowth's statement. The general sessions were tough enough, but the worst always came when they tried to teach her specific attacks. Sometimes they were just humiliating, like having to dress up like a monkey and paint with the tail to learn "Sketch", while others were also dangerous, like being stuffed in a barrel and rolled down a hill to learn "Rollout". Therefore, the thought of special lessons always brought dread to her chest.

Not tonight though; she had received the package this morning, and nothing would spoil her night tomorrow. "So what will it be?" she asked, almost in a jovial mood. "Drop a boulder on me? Toss me into a well with an anchor tied to me? Have me run from a swarm of manticores?"

"Nothing that extreme yet," James said. "Actually, I think you might enjoy this one."

"Really?" Louise said. "What is it?"

It was approximately 1 in the morning at Tristain Academy. Usually there would be nothing to report at that late-night hour; everyone of sense would be fast asleep. Not tonight though. Everyone of sense was in bed, to be sure, but they weren't asleep. Instead, they were cramming pillows and everything they could find over their heads, trying to drown out the blaring noise that echoed through the halls nonstop. Unfortunately, there was little they could do. The professors' chambers magically warded out sound, allowing the teachers to rest after a long day, blissfully ignorant to the cacophony outside.

And the students could not even attempt to inform the faculty, as the intensity of the noise prevented them from stepping a foot out the door. If they were able to venture out though, they would have observed that the sound was coming from a single room in the Fire Tower. If they had made in to the door in question without shattering their eardrums, they may have even made out the faint lyrics of a song.

"You teach me, and I'll teach you. Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all. Pokémon!" Louise had to admit, her familiars had finally done something right for a change. She had never really sung before, but doing it now made her burst with energy, like she could conquer any challenge.

Louise finished her solo to the eager claps of her familiars. "Dat was terrific, Boss!" Meowth said, seated behind a set of drums.

"You're really getting the hang of it," James said, setting down his guitar.

"I'll say," Derflinger's voice spoke from the microphone, which suspiciously resembled a sword blade. They had decided that this modification would be more convenient for music, as Derflinger could add in a masculine voice to the vocals when needed. "Your voice is really something, Partner. Sounds like a Mantid-Siren, calling out to her mate with promises of joy and serenity; of course, she tears him to shreds afterwards, but that's beside the point."

Louise ignored Derf's fascinating comment and asked, "Was I really that good?"

"A pop star prodigy," Jessie said assertively. "Good thing too; you'll need it for our big debut tomorrow."

"Debut? Tomorrow?" Louise said, worry beginning to set in.

"Of course," Jessie said, her eyes dazzling passionately and therefore remaining oblivious to Louise's tense eyes. "There's an important dance tomorrow night. Has something to do with eating figs, I think."

"The Ball of Frigg," Louise said slowly. The Ball of Frigg was an annual event for the Academy. It was a time for the young nobles to forget their troubles with food and dancing- well, at least for her. More than that, it provided even the weakest noble the opportunity to shine like a princess. The ball was supposed to occur on the day following the Day of the Void. However, the extensive damage that Fouquet (and Team Zero) had dealt to the Academy had delayed the festivities. Louise had been overjoyed when she heard that the ball had been rescheduled for next night. Now though, she was worried.

"Yes, that's it," James said.

"Anyways," Meowth continued, bulging out his chest proudly, "we got us a big gig that night."

"Gig?" Louise asked nervously.

"You're gonna be really proud of us," Meowth boasted. "Tomorrow night, we're going to be playing for the whole school."

"What about dancing?" Louise asked.

"Oh, we won't have any time for dancing," Jessie said, "not if we want to play a full concert. Now let's go over the next song…"

"No."

"What?" They stared at Louise in shock.

"I said no," Louise repeated, slipping into bed. "It's late. I'm going to sleep. As for you, I want all my laundry redone."

"But…we need to be ready for the performance," James protested.

"Good night!" Louise shouted as she covered herself with a blanket.

Sighing forlornly, the three walked off to do their chores. "Was it something we said?" Meowth asked.

"Don't worry," Jessie said halfheartedly, "I'm sure she's just tired; that's all."

As Team Rocket headed off, they could not hear the quiet sobs from within Louise's room. "What's the matter, Partner?" Derflinger asked in concern. He tried to crawl up to her face, but was swatted away with a pillow. "Don't want me to speak?" he asked in annoyance and indignation. "Why not?"

"Just leave me alone," she groaned. "Get out of here before I turn you back to scrap metal!"

"Fine," Derflinger said with a tint of hurt in his voice, "but I won't forgive my Partner for giving me a cold shoulder. Partners are supposed to share their feelings with each other. Seeing you like this makes me want to tear apart a forest in rage and depression!" He then leaped out the window, leaving Louise to wallow in her misery. Could things go right in her life, just once?

The following morning was filled with excitement as students prepared for the upcoming dance. Most of the excitement was positive in anticipation of the night, but a more negative sense of dread haunted others, in particular Team Rocket.

"Where is she?" Jessie snapped. Her tense fist crushed the fragile teapot in her hand. "And leave that food alone!" she yelled at James. "First dibs are the property of the Boss!"

The blue-haired man guiltily withdrew his hand from the plate of scrumptious meat. "Breakfast is almost over," he said defensively. He eyed the pastries with an almost desperate expression "If she doesn't come, the food will go to waste unless we do our part."

"She will come," Jessie countered. "And when she beats you to the ground, don't go looking for me to step in." Even so, Jessie stared regretfully at the vacant seat where their master normally sat. "It doesn't make sense," she muttered.

"She has learned to conserve her energy," James pointed out, "so maybe she's decided just to skip breakfast this time. If so, she'd probably be happy to give us the food in reward for training her." His mouth watered as he gazed upon the loaded dishes.

"Stop trying to invent excuses," Jessie said. Even so, it was a tempting possibility. Involuntarily, her hand pulled itself towards one of the fresh hors d'oeuvres. Surely the Boss wouldn't miss one small morsel…

"Hey, I'm back," Meowth called from behind her.

Jessie froze mid-grab; never willing to admit her own faults, she quickly turned around to draw the fire on the one who interrupted her. "What took you so long? You'd better not have stopped for a catnap."

James smiled sympathetically from behind Jessie, used to the woman's way of shifting the burden on her unfortunate teammates. "So, any luck finding the Boss?" James said.

"No sign of her," Meowth said.

"If she's still in her room," Jessie said, "you just have to get her out by force. No lock can keep a door blocked if you break down the door first."

"You don't think I tried that?" Meowth said. "I managed to jimmy the lock with my claws- what do you expect with a cat burglar? - but when I got in there the room was empty. The window was hanging open, so I'm guessing that she slipped out that way."

"Wow," James said. "She really is learning a lot from our training."

"Now's not the time to be thinking about that," Jessie reprimanded him. Although, that did make her wonder.

"Anyways," Meowth continued, "I was hoping that maybe she stopped by here. Guess not though."

James shook his head in agreement. "Jessie," he said, automatically deferring to the leader of the trio in the Boss' absence, "now what do we do?"

"Come on," Jessie said. She stood up from her seat and began to rapidly stuff the food into a bag. "Class starts in ten minutes, and she's got to be at least there. We'll settle this whole matter out after class."

Jessie's guess turned out to be correct, as the team spotted Louise approaching the classroom door as they turned the corner. "There y'are, Boss!" Meowth said in relief. "We've been looking all over for you. What happened? Did the singing get your throat sore or something?"

Louise's only response to their call was to shoot a quick glare at them and swiftly slip into the room. Team Rocket followed, only to find that Louise had walled herself up behind rest of the students. The team tried to push through the crowd, but within a minute the teacher had entered, forcing them to settle down at a seat far from their master. "Aw, c'mon," Meowth griped. "Of all the timing. Couldn't be worse if she tried to avoid us on purpose."

James didn't reply to Meowth, looking at Jessie instead. She was staring pensively at Louise, hands on chin in deep thought. A grin slowly formed on her face. "Jessie?" he asked hesitantly.

"Maybe she is," Jessie said. "She's doing this on purpose." The apparent ill mood of the comment was sharply contrasted with Jessie's widening smile, causing her companions to do a double take. "I always knew she had it in her."

"What do you mean?" James said.

"Yeah," Meowth said, "fill us in."

"It makes perfect sense when you think about it," Jessie said. "I can't believe we missed it earlier."

Jessie was about to explain further, but the beginning of the lecture forced her to stop for the moment. Of course, that normally wouldn't keep the team from whispering to each other, but Jessie remained silent and quickly shushed her teammates when before they could open their mouths. They could not afford to get a detention today, not if they wanted to stay on the Boss' trail. She was still annoyed at the Boss for ditching them, but thought she understood now. And she had to admire the cunning that their pink-haired master was displaying.

Now, what would be her next move? Assuming the team kept out of trouble- and they could mimic model citizens when a bigger prize awaited- they had the girl cornered. As soon as she got up they would be on her tail, and if she got detention they could set up watch by the exit. But the Boss wasn't the Boss for nothing, and Jessie was on guard for the next trick worthy of a top criminal mastermind. Louise gave no visible sign of trouble though; other than a few irate glances, she remained focused on her schoolwork.

As the teacher turned around toward the board though, Louise quietly let something fall from her pocket. Because the teacher's distraction was a cue for students in general to try to cause trouble, Louise's calm action was largely ignored; in the end, no one would be able to be certain just who had dropped the item in the first place. The marble bounced down the steps until it rolled to a stop by a couple of familiars. The Octillery-like skua curiously extended a tentacle and suctioned onto the marble. After holding it in front of its head as if inspecting it, it chirped in pleasure, having found its shiny surface to be very attractive.

Its euphoria was cut short when it felt a scaly snout push against its tentacle. The skua glared at the lizard eyeing its treasure with primal hunger. With a flick, the tentacle was pulled back, causing the basilisk to snap its watering jaws shut in frustration. Basilisks were earth-oriented monsters, and found metals to be a delicacy. Skua ate algae, but had a fondness for collecting shiny objects, and guarded them with jealous zeal. Their contrasting desires merged on the seemingly insignificant marble and set the ground for conflict. The basilisk snarled at the skua menacingly and then charged forward. The skua tripped the basilisk on a tentacle, sending it crashing onto a manticore's tail. The manticore roared in pain and turned its body towards the interlopers, bringing a third party into the escalating feud.

Jessie smirked as the Boss' plan became clear. The wonderful girl was going to cause a riot! Of course, she couldn't implicate herself, lest she receive a detention, hence why she had used the marble as the catalyst; the blame would rest on the familiars and their masters, with Louise not having to lift a finger. It was a clever strategy, but it wouldn't be enough. The familiars weren't enough to get the entire class involved. The teacher continued his lesson undaunted, ignoring the minor brawl for all purposes besides a couple of meaningful looks at the masters to control their pets. Besides, the Boss was creating the riot too early. There were still a few minutes left of class, and the confusion would have died down or be tolerated by the time they were all dismissed. If she wanted to make a diversion, she should have held out until the last minute.

Although, there was something unsettling about Louise's posture. She was subtly smirking at the unfolding events, but her triumphant expression seemed incomplete, as if she was still waiting for something. But what? She'd already made her move, and it wasn't like that marble could do anything except glow…

Wait. Jessie leaned forward to look closer at the item. The marble's shine wasn't just polish. It was glowing. Jessie's eyes narrowed and shifted to Louise. Her right hand continued to write furiously, but her left slid into her pocket, where the gilded wood of a wand could be seen poking out. Jessie had wondered what their little Boss could do, as she couldn't risk using magic in class. But that assumed that she had to build up a spell. With the bomb all set, all it required was one little shock of magic to spark it off.

Jessie tried to signal to her teammates, only to discover that the clowns had fallen asleep. She subtly nudged them with increasing vigor, trying to combine a need for discretion with growing desperation. Could those idiots have picked a worse time for a nap? Class was almost over, and the teacher was wrapping up his lecture.

Louise stretched casually, but let another marble fall as she did so. It too bounced on a preset course towards the struggling familiars, but not with the same glow. Louise's eyes remained centered on the tiny orb, and Jessie did as well, knowing that everything was about to come together, like fire in a dynamite factory. A couple of familiars looked up at the approaching object, but the skua and basilisk remained focused on their tug-of-war. The ball hurtled towards the center of the looming danger…

"…Class is now dismissed." As soon as the word "dismissed" had finished, a powerful _boom _resounded across the room, turning the atmosphere from order to chaos in an instant. Even as panic spread in the far corners of the classroom, tension exploded with chaotic frenzy at the epicenter of the disaster. The gathered familiars reacted to the sudden destruction of their treasure with a combination of two primal instincts: fight and flight. Most of the familiars opted for the latter approach, scattering in all directions and knocking over anything in their path. The basilisk and skua, on the other hand, each blamed the other for the sudden attack and lashed out in counter. The skua bashed the basilisk against the wall like a hammer, while the grappled lizard in turn bit hard into the tentacles. Students tried to restrain their familiars, but their progress was impeded by dissension in their ranks; many were too afraid to do anything, and those with enough will to fight turned on their fellows, blaming them for the trouble their familiars caused. Jessie yanked her partners to the ground.

Finally waking up, they tried to rise and see what the commotion was, only to be held down by Jessie. "Jess, what's going on?" Meowth said.

"The Boss is trying to build a cover for her escape," Jessie said.

"Should we try to break through?" James suggested. He reached down to his belt to summon Victreebel.

Jessie shook her head. "Let's wait this out," she said. "There's only one door out of this room, and the Boss will have to pass through this way. Plus, this entire hubbub that's keeping us from her is doing the same for her. It was a nice try making a riot to slow us down, but we still need to keep training…"

She abruptly cursed as Meowth jumped straight on her face, his claws tangling in her delicate hair. "Stop whining," Jessie said. She pulled him off and glared at him. "There's no need to start acting like the Twerps are after us."

"Sorry," Meowth said. "Someone's throwing a marble around like a crazy ping pong match, and I didn't want to be the target.

"Marble?" Jessie said. She dropped Meowth like a rock and peeked out from under the desk to gaze at the carnage, or rather beyond it. Sure enough, a small round object was bouncing across the room like a bullet. The first marble had blown up, Jessie knew, but the second one had never been set up to explode. Jessie had assumed that it had been destroyed with the other, but what if it had ridden the shockwave. After all, given the position…

Jessie narrowed her eyes further. Yes, everything just so happened to be in place to ensure that the second marble ricocheted, and there had been very few true coincidences that day. No, the Boss must have planned this all along. But for what? Jessie struggled to track the projectile's progress as it went back and forth around the battlefield. Suddenly, her eyes widened as the next contact point revealed itself, one that would prove to be the last. The marble whizzed past Louise and shot straight into the window, turning the fragile glass to shards. Her school work already stuffed in her backpack, Louise calmly strode to the window, ignoring the chaos around her, and jumped out, not even sparing a glance for her dumbfounded team.

Jessie was as shocked as her teammates but quickly rallied herself, knowing that they needed to move now if they wanted to catch up with the Boss. The Boss was expecting a challenge, and Jessie did not intend to let her down. "Arbok, go!" she said. She bounced the ball on the floor, releasing the purple cobra. "Grab on," she said to James and Meowth. "We've got a mage to catch."

"But Jessie," James said, "how are we going to catch her? She just jumped out the window." "You forget," Jessie said, "what comes up must come down. And I plan to be at the bottom first." Catching its master's drift, Arbok used Dig on the granite floor, dragging its protesting riders with it. The academy's consisted of several large towers corresponding to the standard elements. As a result, instead of burrowing through the ground like Dig usually did, Arbok crashed down into classroom below and kept going.

"Wha!" Meowth said as he hung on for dear life. He tried to arch his back to yell at Jessie better, but barely retracted his body before a chandelier passed by- or rather the opposite- and nearly singed his hair. "Are you trying to get us killed? We're hole fanatics, but even we have enough sense not to jump into our pitfalls on purpose!"

"Just a little more," Jessie said. She ignored Meowth and kept her eyes forward as they shot floor after floor, quickly approaching the bottom. "When we reach the ground," Jessie instructed Arbok, "tunnel to the left about thirty feet, then pop up. Get ready. We're almost to the bottom…"

The team finally met solid resistance when they at last reached the ground level. The team vibrated at the sudden impact, but Arbok endured the pain and continued to dig through the earth as ordered. When it felt that it was in about the right spot, it returned to the surface, plopping the trio out of the hole like sacks.

Jessie struggled to hoist herself out of the pile and take command of the situation. "Stop, in the name of Team…ack!" A pink blur slammed into her like a bowling bowl, or rather a grenade into the fray. When the dust finally settled, the neatly-dug hole had been replaced with a massive crater, and at the center lay Jessie, James, Meowth, and Louise.

"Ow," Meowth said. "Ain't it enough for us to have Twerps and luck killing us instead of each other?"

"Well," James said, "at least we succeeded in our mission. Even if it did entail capturing our own Boss."

"Let me go!" Louise writhed her way out of the heap. Her angry glare could burn down a wall. "Do you see what you did to my hair? Stupid familiars, always dragging me into their messes."

"Hey," Meowth said, "we just wanted to know what was going on with you. You just drive us away and hide without letting us know what's wrong."

"If something is troubling you," James said, "we can help."

"Ask you for help?" Louise said. "Be serious. The only thing you three do is make more trouble. Why…"

"Take it easy, Boss," Jessie interrupted her. "You don't have to hide. We know what's troubling you."

Louise remained unconvinced, but her face lightened and her hand dropped back to her side. "Really?"

"Of course," Jessie said. "We know exactly what is wrong with you."

"We do?" James said in a baffled tone.

"Dat's news to me," Meowth said.

"Hah," Jessie said boisterously. "You insensitive fools simply do not have the right mindset to see what drives a woman's heart."

"And you do?" Meowth said sarcastically.

Thankfully for him, Jessie was too caught up in the moment to pay him heed, and continued her speech undaunted. "It's all so obvious when you put all the clues together." Turning her head towards Louise with a friendly smile, she said, "I knew the problem from the very start. Don't think I missed your little sigh when we explained what the training entailed."

Louise lowered her guard and began to brighten up slightly. "You did?" she said. "I thought you didn't care."

"Don't be ridiculous," Meowth said. "It's a team's duty to keep their head honcho happy."

"My point exactly," Jessie said. "Training is all good, but you have to be careful with it, lest an unbalanced program reduce the benefits you're working for."

"I know," Louise said. "Look, I'm sorry to throw this at you- after all, it was my idea in the first place, even if you guys took it and ran down a mountain- but sometimes enough is enough. There's only so much that you can put up with before exploding."

"We understand clearly," Jessie said. "And don't worry. Now that we know the root of the issue, we can modify the training regimen to better suit your desires." "

Exactly what is the issue though?" James said.

"Dat's what I want to know, Meowth said. "So come on, give us the scoop already."

"The Boss," Jessie said dramatically, "has training fever."

_Clunk!_

"Could you please elaborate?" James said in confusion.

"All right," Jessie said, "I'll try to make it plain to you buffoons." The two huddled around Jessie curiously. None of the three paid any attention to the subject of the discussion, who had fallen to the ground in shock at hearing Jessie's conclusion. However, she slowly pulled herself up with increasingly taut fists.

"Here's the thing," Jessie said. "The Boss is one of those people who takes a challenge and goes the extra mile with it. A true inspiration for us all! We may have gotten her started on this training, but she has succeeded in every obstacle we place before her. The problem is, as she gains power the training becomes easier for her."

"But that's good, right?" James said. "It does that the training is having an effect," Jessie agreed. "However, that also means that the challenges that once forced out her true power no longer work. The old tricks are not enough anymore, and it's starting to trouble her."

"So," James said, "when we tried to help her relax with the Sing training…"

"She got bored with the pace and tried to kick it up a notch," Meowth said.

"Now do you understand?" Jessie said rhetorically. "While we were wasting our time on trivial things, the Boss became impatient and melancholic that she was pushed far enough to where she wants to be.

"But that's going to change!" She slowly began to turn back to Louise. "So as you can see, mistress, you can rest easy knowing that your team is there to watch your back. There's no way to cancel our booking at this hour, but Derflinger can fill in as a singer while you work on your training. It will have to be on your own, of course, but your latest performance has convinced me you're up for it.

"In fact…" Jessie was now facing Louise, but her sudden inspiration had caused her to raise her head up to the joy, a new plan coming to her. "I think I know the perfect challenge for you. That Kirche mentioned how her Charmeleon came from some Fire Mountains at the border of Tristain. Your mission will be to run up there and find some special flower that apparently helps the lizards' scales. I know you're rivals with that Zerbst, but don't let that keep your from testing yourself." _Not to mention,_ Jessie darkly noted, _that female version of the Rock Twerp's been trying to convince James to escort her there lately. Don't think I didn't notice how the route passes right by where her family estates are supposed to be. Whoever said that kindness couldn't be evil? _

"That sounds like a feasible plan," James said.

"Plus," Meowth added, "I'm sure we can let you sing the closing number assuming you get back on time. With the right motivation, you can do anything."

"So how does it sound, Boss?" Jessie said. She lowered her head to beam at Louise. "With a little work, I'm positive that…"

She abruptly broke off, seeing Louise for the first time. Team Zero had difficulty at times adjusting to their leader's volatile nature, but had quickly honed onto the warning signs of potential trouble. All of them were present now. Louise was twitching like an addled Primeape, but her eyes themselves remained firm and solid with pure anger. The only reason her wand hadn't been crushed was the reinforcements that had been built into it as her strength grew. Most of all was the aura that surrounded her, the type that promised the most unforgiving explosions.

"Boss?" Jessie said tentatively. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe the training flu's more serious than we thought," Meowth piped up. James tried to shush him, but it was too late. The cat's remark was the last straw, and Louise finally snapped.

"Training sick?" she spat out. "Training Sick? Oh, I'm sick all right. Sick of all this stupid pain you force on me! Day after day, torture after torture. And just when I think you guys are showing a little compassion for my feelings, you…you….I hate you! Why do I ever trust you guys? You bring up my hopes and then crush them to nothing!"

"But…you like the training," Meowth said in a stunned and hurt voice. Louise's words had cut through him in particular, as he took pride in being her trainer, a distinct position for a Pokémon. "You were the one who asked us to help you get stronger."

"Well," Louise said, "I take it all back! Ever since you've forced your way into my life, I've suffered headache after headache, humiliation after humiliation. You've tried to kill me more times than I can count, and for what? What good has it done me?"

"What good has it done?" Jessie said indignantly. "What about catching Fouquet? You wouldn't have gotten her without those tricks we taught you. You were the hero of the hour- okay, I know that isn't the best start for a budding crook, but it's still something."

"Oh, sure," Louise said, "it made me something less than a Zero for a few hours. But then what? I'm back to being nothing again. No, worse- a freak! Fouquet didn't help me at all; if anything, my involvement just gave me a bigger mark. Or did you forget about why the Ball was postponed. Something else I have to put at your feet. 'Great job'. Every 'accomplishment' you drag me into just makes me more and more strange like you all are. I just want to be normal…is that too much to ask?"

"If you ask me," Meowth said, "'normal' is for suckers who don't know what they're missing."

"Are you sure you want to be normal instead?" James said. "I would have thought that you'd want the opposite. At least that's how it appears."

"Why would you even think I'd ever want to be like you?"

"Well," James said, "it just seems that, for all you complain about your training, you use it a lot."

Louise froze in her tracks.

"That's right," Meowth said. "If you wanted to stop, you could have quit anytime. But the only reason you kept away from us this long is thanks to all the work that you- and us, don't forget- put into your training. Doesn't make sense to hate something like crazy and then use it for support whenever you can."

"And you were so happy last night singing," James said. "Why would you hate it? If anything, I'd say you love it."

"N….no," Louise protested. "That's…impossible. I…can't be…like that."

"Why not?" Meowth said. "You can't please everyone in life, Boss, so you might as well get praise for what you're good at and happy about."

"No," Louise said- to the team or to herself. "I just want to belong."

"To who?" James said. "Those who mock you or those who care for you? You just have to cope with the rejection with those beside you; that is what gives teams solidarity."

"That's right," Jessie said firmly. "Don't listen to what they say. All you need is a good and loyal team to get you through the night. And you're perfect to guide a team to victory, I know it beyond a doubt. I mean, that plan you came up with was so brilliant and devious…"

"Stop giving me compliments I don't want!" Louise yelled. Her voice was wrathful and desperate, trying to produce enough anger to cloud the ever-slight tug she felt in her heart.

"If you don't want us to praise ya," Meowth said, "then stop giving us reason to."

Louise opened her mouth to say more, but froze up, gaping like a tragic statue. "Just leave me alone," Louise groaned, tears streaming down her face. She turned away from them and ran away from the academy. This time, no one had the heart to pursue her.

"So now what do we do?" James asked.

"…She'll calm down," Jessie said halfheartedly. "She just needs some time to herself." Trying to get her mind off the heartbreak, she said, "Let's focus on the bigger problem right now. The concert's tonight. Like I said, even without the Boss we might still be able to pull through. James can take over the guitar while I do the singing."

"Actually," James said tentatively, "I think I might go to the dance also."

"What?" Meowth exclaimed.

"You see," James admitted sheepishly, "a couple of people have asked if I could attend the ball with them."

"Let me guess," Jessie said, grinding her teeth, "a black-haired girl and a red-haired girl."

James nodded. "Yes," he said. "Kirche said that she'd dance with me eventually, and Siesta and the staff are looking for extra help with the serving."

"Fine," Meowth said, "do what you want. Me and Jess will…"

"On second thought," Jessie interrupted, glaring at James, "maybe I'll attend the ball too." She'd show those girls not to interfere with a true beauty queen. "Later." She dashed off to get ready in time, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

When Meowth turned around, James too was gone, leaving the feline on his own.. "Oh man," he said, "so much for team spirit. Maybe Derf can help find her, assuming I find him. Sometimes I regret giving that sword a body. Figures that something's always got to give. And I was even thinking about starting a gym. Just wish I knew what's troubling her. I still think that Jessie was on to something with that training fever theory."

Servants sped to the side as the student Montmorency made her way through the courtyard. Her frustrated glare was enough to make all duck out of sight. However, she grabbed a maid by the hand before she could escape. "Have you seen Guiche de Gramont?" she asked imperiously. "I wish to have a word with him."

"Sir…Guiche is in the decommissioned Wind classroom," the raven haired girl answered.

Montmorency let the maid go, turning to leave. However, she stopped as she felt the absence of a bottle. Turning around, she saw the impertinent commoner sitting on the ground, the Montmorency perfume sprawled beside her. "You there," she called indignantly, "halt! What do you think you're doing, muddying a noble's prize with your unclean hands?"

She kept her face in the expression of superiority her family had taught her, but winced slightly as the commoner burst into tears. "I…just didn't want it to be like last time," the maid moaned desperately. "The last time I picked up a noble's bottle, he got my friends in trouble because he was trying to get rid of it. I wasn't even going to use it; I was going to bury it so it wouldn't cause any trouble."

Montmorency frowned, her eyes narrowing in recollection. "You were with those familiars when they found my perfume bottle, weren't you?"

"Y…yes!" the maid said hurriedly, bowing submissively. "I'm really sorry about all this." Montmorency considered what to do. She really didn't want to push any farther; besides, in an ironic fashion she owed the maid for alerting her to Guiche's two-timing ways. Still, she had to maintain her reputation.

"Be sorry that you were going to waste my potion," she said contemptuously, shoving the item back into the maid's hands. "It's already been dirtied by you, so you may as well keep it. Be thankful that your earlier information has made up for your transgression."

"Thank you," the maid said gratefully, turning to go.

Once the commoner's back was turned, Montmorency slumped in exhaustion at her performance. As a noble, you could never make yourself appear weak to others; the only way to counter weakness was to force weakness on others. That was what she had learned at a young age in the house. Most of the time, she had no trouble with creating the false personality, even believing it at times. Occasionally though, she had a feeling of regret pulse through her. At least she had hid her turmoil this time…

"Um…" She whipped around to see that the maid was still standing there.

"What?" she demanded, replacing her vulnerability with bile as quickly as possible.

"My…name is Siesta," the maid said in fear before dashing off.

"Siesta," Montmorency mused quietly. An interesting name. A pity it was stuck with a commoner. She would never call a servant by name, but now she would remember the name internally.

Leaving those thoughts behind, she returned to her original mission: finding Guiche. She made ready to burst into the abandoned room and let out all her pent-up frustration at searching for him all day, but found her feet glued to the ground. Now that she was finally here, she had lost her nerve. This was ridiculous! If she wanted this relationship to work, she had to take charge; with Guiche at the helm, she'd end up lost while he chatted up some other girl.

Although, she hadn't seen him with as many girls of late. He sometimes cast lecherous eyes on passing damsels, and he continued to produce extravagant and boisterous praise of the opposite sex, but he hadn't been actively chasing them. Perhaps he had finally found some other, less perverted hobby to pass the time. That change had been enough for her to place Guiche back into her good graces. Unfortunately, his lack of romantic pursuits seemed to include her; the boy remained as clueless as ever. Therefore, if she wanted to go to the ball with him, she would have to ask him. Assuming she had the strength to. Thank the Founder her mother wasn't here, or her aunts. What would they say? She, a Montmorency, quivering in fear like a coward?

After taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door. She might as well check to see if anyone was in the room, given that it was technically unused. The room was unlit, but she could make out Guiche hunched down by one of the desks. So he was here after all. Now she just had to take another breath and…

Her heart stopped as another figure rose up beside Guiche. She could not see the person properly at this distance, but she recognized the femininity. All of her anxiety evaporated, rage taking over. "You need to be more careful," Guiche chided his friend. "Work on having the right balance…oh!" he exclaimed, spotting Montmorency out of his eye's corner. "I…"

"Guiche de Gramont," she yelled, drawing forth a wave of water, "go to hell!" Huffing indignantly at ever trusting him, she marched off, never seeing Guiche worriedly cradling his companion.

Far away from the bustling anticipation at the Academy, deep in the heart of the nearby forest, all was calm and serene, with only the faint trickle of a stream and the chirping of birds generating any lull in the quiet. Perfect. Casting one last wary glance behind her, Louise dropped down from the branch she had been standing on.

Well, if she had come all this way, she might as well get started with her business here. After letting out a heavy sigh, Louise slowly began to take off her uniform. Still keeping a sense of modesty as befitting a noble, she refused to disrobe out in the open, regardless of the lack of viewers. Instead, she scrunched herself inside a hole on an oak tree and slowly began to change. It was a little tight, but she did not want to give fan service, or bump the rat…. Founder! Louise cursed. How was it that she could not get them out of her mind? It was crazy! They were stupid, annoying, always causing trouble at the worst time, but… Everything, even defying them, always led back to them in the end.

Louise shook herself of that melancholy, however ineffectively, and tried to focus her mind on a more immediate task. She sleekly squeezed her way out of the tree hollow and carefully slid down to the ground. Another benefit she had to grudgingly attribute to her familiars, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. She dusted off her outfit, vainly trying to wipe off the grime that had accumulated while in the tree. Still, it retained the grandeur it was designed to capture.

She bent down towards the pond to stare at the mirrored surface. A pink-haired angel stared back at her. Its normally short hair had been gathered into a flowing ponytail adorned with glittering gems. A shining white gown surrounded the rest of its body, giving it an almost otherworldly beauty. It. Not her. Never. She placed her equally white gloves on her cheeks and sighed. Somehow, Louise could not connect the image she saw with herself. She tried to tell herself that it was just her shyness emerging again; she knew that she did not think highly of herself, as was to be expected with her small figure and miniscule power, and knew it to be justified. Yet that should not have been troubling her now. She took pride in being a noble by birth and never gave up an opportunity to flaunt her true grace that nobility deserved.

Then why did that nobility seem so foreign and hurtful to her now? The doppelganger she was staring at seemed like another person to her, one that she didn't want to be. There was a faint trace of dirt on the front of the dress, but Louise did not have the heart to take it off. That brown spot was the one part of the picture that she found to actually like. Just how much had her familiars changed her? And why did the change seem disturbingly…fun?

"I…look pretty," she said aloud, as if trying to convince her of the reality she saw. "I'm…beautiful."

"You sure are," a voice spoke from behind her. "Just don't forget your other qualities too; they're just as important."

Louise flushed in a mixture of embarrassment, rage, and fear. She whirled around and frantically scanned the tree line around her. "Who's there?" It had better not be her familiars, not now of all times. "What?" the voice said in a faux-hurt voice. "Don't you have pity for a lost mouse?" Derflinger scurried down the tree and landed in front of Louise.

"How did you find me?" Louise asked. "Or even catch up with me, for the matter." She found Derflinger unsettling at times. She wasn't used to a weapon having a mind- and body- of its own, and the sword kept finding new ways to catch her off guard.

"Hey," Derflinger said indignantly, "just because I'm new at this whole body thing doesn't mean I didn't pick up a few tricks from my teachers."

"You'd better not have seen me changing," Louise said. She raised her wand threateningly.

"And so what if you did? I know you know that your mood isn't from that." Louise turned beet red but then slumped.

"Look," Derflinger said consolingly, "let's just sit down and talk this over."

"Oh, no," Louise said, getting her anger back. "I'm tired of people trying to help me. I hate the training, and the madness! Why won't you all leave me alone?"

"Maybe we could help better," Derflinger said, "if you didn't skirt from the real problem yourself. The real problem is with you, and what you want to do tonight."

"You know?" Louise mumbled. "Really this time?"

Derflinger nodded. "Your familiars have the common sense of trolls. I'm not the best myself, I admit- fighting is what I'm born for, after all- but I've had enough experience to see what's wrong with you. You're not sick, or have stage fright, or any of the other theories they've come up with- you want to attend the ball, don't you?"

Louise sighed and nodded her head slowly. "Yes," she admitted. "It's just…for once, I wanted to fit in. Every day, I try to be a model mage, only to end up humiliating myself. Tonight though, I can really shine. I can be the noble I'm supposed to be."

"And then what?" Derflinger asked.

"Then what?" Louise repeated in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Just that," Derf said. "So you blend into the crowd of students. Then what do you do?"

"I…" Louise paused, unable to answer his simple question. She should have been able to respond easily. Despite her reputation as a failure, it was purely due to her magic; that aside, she was an excellent student, and knew the proper conduct for young nobles at affairs like the ball. But, none of those activities really interested her. She could dance or chat with her peers, of course. Yet the idea was a little discomforting. She knew that the next day the taunts would be back, and so would they. Could she really enjoy something that she knew was fake?

"What's your point?" she asked sourly, crossing her arms.

"The point," Derflinger said, "is that you need to understand why you're doing what you are, and if you actually want it in the first place. The worst kind of fighter is the one who doesn't have a clue why he fights. Sure, there are good reasons and bad reasons, but in the end what matters is having a true purpose for your hard work. You can fight for anything from saving your chickens to protecting a kingdom, but what matters is that you believe in what you fight for. Now, let me ask you: do you?"

"Yo, Derf!" Louise froze in horror as Meowth's voice rang loud and clear across the glen. To her relief though, she realized that the voice was coming from Derflinger; that was right, they'd built a communicator into his body, even if they usually forgot to use it. Even so, she was not in clear.

She began to sigh in relief only to stiffen when Meowth said, "What was dat?"

As Louise quickly zipped her mouth shut, Derflinger hurriedly replied, "Some kind of songbird, I think. The wild pink-tufted tsundere, yeah, that's the name. Haven't seen one in centuries. But anyways," he continued, seeing Louise turn red with embarrassment- even if she didn't know exactly what he was alluding to, she doubted it was positive- "how are things going on your end. Found my Partner yet?"

"…No," Meowth said morosely. "And if that ain't bad enough, my buddies have followed the Boss' example and deserted. I hope I can at least count on you to show up for the concert."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Derflinger assured him. As he spoke, he craned his neck to glance at Louise. Somehow, the second-long look of hurt was enough to drop Louise's gut again. "Should be a blast!"

"Yeah," Meowth said. His tone sounded hardly convinced. "With our lead star on the run, we don't stand a chance. Are you sure you haven't turned up any clues?"

Derflinger took a long stare at Louise. Her gut turned cold in fear and…something else. She was worried what his answer would be. Yet, that was not the true cause of her insecurity. No, there was something about his look, even with him being a sword, that made her feel like she had disappointed him gravely, as if she had just kicked a sad puppy. He then turned away again and said, "Sorry. No luck. Guess we're on our own then."

"Figures," Meowth groaned. "Just get back here as soon as you can; we're gonna need all the practice we can get. Over and out."

"Will do," Derflinger said. A brief _beep _followed and died off, signaling the end of the transmission.

"So now what?" Louise asked tensely. If he sounded the alarm for her familiars, then…

"Me?" Derf said. "I'm going to finish up my exercise and then check on how Siesta's doing with the food for tonight. It's not me, or even your familiars you should be thinking about, Partner. You should be thinking about you, and what you really want to do. Just remember this: there's a reason that swords need people, and people need swords. When you throw away something close to you, you throw away part of yourself too. What matters is finding something precious to share that bond with. It's more important than you think. The choice of partners is what determines whether you win or lose- and if you win what you truly want."

He turned to go, but turned back one last time. His metallic body seemed to quaver in nostalgic melancholy. "In the end though, it's up to you to make the choice. You're a good hero, Louise; don't let me down like my old master did." He leaped up into the trees, leaving only a faint rustles of leaves in his wake before disappearing.

Louise sat on the ground, not caring about her appearance, and sighed. Derflinger was right: she needed to make a choice. But what would she choose?

It was evening, and the Alviss spirits were fluttering through the dining hall. Ordinarily, they would emerge only after the school was asleep, but tonight they needed not worry. No humans would stumble upon them tonight. They were far too occupied with other activities, as evidenced by noises from the hall's ceiling. In the spacious room above, the Ball of Frigg was in full swing. Most of the nobles were dancing, their sparkled garb dazzling under the moons' light. Still others were crowded around the many tables, helping themselves to food and drink. That was where James found himself, carrying a platter of delicacies.

"All this food," he sighed, "and I can't even eat it." Truth be told, he wasn't sullen about it; in Team Rocket, one got used to a low-calorie diet of starvation. His melancholy came from being alone. He didn't feel welcome among the nobles, so he kept quietly to the sidelines as a waiter. Although Siesta and Kirche had both enticed him to the ball, neither was with him. Siesta had found that her duties had been switched at the last minute to tending the gardens. Not that it bothered her; she said that it would be nicer out in the open air rather than crammed in with a bunch of nobles. She had asked James to join her, but he had already volunteered for waiting service.

Kirche had escorted him to the ball, but had vanished once the party began. He could see her now, talking and laughing with a number of enamored young men. She had promised to dance with him eventually, but it looked like it would be a while before it was his turn. He felt a slight pang at seeing Kirche with the other males, but wasn't that jealous. On the contrary, he was relieved. Kirche was turning out to be someone that was fun to hang around with. She had a very vibrant and strong personality without Jessie and Louise's tendency for abuse. His worst fear was that the bond would be replaced by a chain, dooming him forever. It seemed so unlikely now, but he had never let his guard down since Jessibelle. Still, it was a bit lonely being around so many people with nobody to talk to.

"Hello, handsome." James turned around to see Jessie dressed in a spectacular gown. It looked as fine as silk, with many rare gems adorning the rim. However, the dull glimmer of the "stones" and their strange texture betrayed the dress' secrets.

"Had a rough night too?" James asked sympathetically.

At that, Jessie drooped. "I strode in here expecting to be praised as a fashion diva," Jessie moaned, "but nobody paid attention to me."

"They must have poor taste," James said. "After all, those are pure plastic, aren't they?"

"They sure are," Jessie said triumphantly. "No clay or molds for this dress, no sir! Team Rocket only uses the most advanced counterfeiting. But," she sighed, "guess it didn't fool them long enough."

"Well," James said, "at least we haven't been kicked out yet. That should count for something."

"Don't count on it," Jessie said. "I just stopped over by Meowth's booth."

"He's still at it?" James asked, amazed.

"He sure is," Jessie said. "but he won't be for long the way the crowd is looking. A few more off-key songs and they'll drive him off on a rail."

"I feel bad for him," James said. "Maybe we should be up there with him."

"And risk getting lynched ourselves?" Jessie countered. "That's the way it is with teams: if one person deserts, the rest suffer. And speak of the Absol," she noted as the guards announced the latest arrival to the ball, "there's our little deserter right now. Figures that she can enjoy herself while we suffer."

The sight of the evening, everyone had to agree, was Miss Louise Valliere. Any day of the week, the only looks she would have received would have been ones of contempt, sneering at the pathetic Zero. Even so, Louise was a noble, and it was in social events like this where she could shine, displaying the delicate grace that most forgot with her explosions. However, Louise was not as happy as she expected to be. Certainly, her attire had worked wonders, and dozens of boys were staring at her in awe with lustful thoughts. Still, she felt something was missing. This should have been her big debut, the time that people would realize, at least for one night, that she was more than a Zero.

But she could not quench the melancholy from her heart. It wasn't that the ball wasn't fancy enough for her taste; it was peaceful and serene, as befitting nobility. That was the problem, actually: it was just too peaceful. Louise kept tensing in anticipation for some round of chaos to strike, but always ended up bowing her head in disappointment. As much as she hated to admit it, her familiars' antics gave color to her daily life. Now what she was alone once more, she was realizing this for the first time. Sighing, she closed her eyes to take in the tempo of the music. Instead though, she heard jeers. Heading over to the concert section, she saw an increasingly hostile mob congregating. In the center stood Meowth, who was vainly trying to play all the instruments at once.

"Meowth's party!" Derflinger sang off key. "Blasting out of sight!"

"If you're gonna mess up the song," Meowth said, "at least get the lyrics right. Do you know how much work I put into dat?"

"If you know it so well," Derflinger countered, "then you can sing it."

"I can't!" Meowth moaned. "Someone needs to play all these instruments. Looks like it's the end of the line for…"

"Out of the way!" Meowth was drawn out of his misery as Louise pushed through the crowd and walked onto the stage platform.

"Boss!" he exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"Saving your pitiful behinds," she said. "I can't just sit back while my familiars make fools of themselves. If we're going to be humiliated, do it right at least. Play 'Team Zero's Zooming.'"

"Are you sure?" Meowth asked nervously. A modified version of their theme song, it was one of Louise's least favorite, given its emphasis on the "Zero".

"Do it," she demanded, eyes blaring dangerously, "or I'll blow you to bits!"

"Yes, Boss," Meowth said, starting the instrumental background.

"Team Zero's zoomin'!" Louise sang into the microphone, her voice spreading across the hall.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it Zero!"

"Big trouble's gonna follow you!" the quartet sang out loud.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Louise asked after seeing how they suddenly appeared when it was their cue to sing. "Don't tell me," she continued, "another convention or something?"

"Key on," Meowth replied, nodding.

Now her familiars' insanity seemed to be leaking into her. Funny though, that seemed trivial at the moment. "Now that we're all here," she said, "Let's do this!" She raised the microphone to her mouth and began to sing again, the crowd's fervor turning from outrage to awe.

In a different corner of the hall, Montmorency sulked at the sideline of the dancers. At least that raucous music had shifted to something somewhat coherent. She still found Zero's wild singing to be outrageous, but that didn't stop the dancers from picking up the pace to the frantic beat. What was it about that Zero, that she could perform crazy stunts like this and get away with it- not only get away, but be praised! After the Fouquet debacle, a lot of people had started whispering quietly to themselves- but no quiet enough to slip by her- that Louise may not have won the contest but had done greater by capturing Fouquet. Did those idiots forget that the mad Valliere's rampage was the reason the festivities had been postponed?

Though she did not want to admit it, her discomfort, deep down, was from envy, jealousy that they and even Louise could enjoy themselves tonight and not her. However much it galled her to have no partner for the night, she need to be here to keep up appearances. Though, she seemed to be the only one really concerned at this point, with some nobles actually singing along with 'Team Zero'. She could see some snickering in contempt, but even they were lightly humming the tune when they thought the coast was clear.

She couldn't be too hard on them though. The Ball of Frigg was intended to symbolize peace for mages, and by rule one was supposed to give courtesy to all present no matter their rank or reputation. Nobles had to build up walls around themselves to maintain their rightful strength, even the children. By having these rare moments when the social expectations were lowered, the hope was that the youth could let themselves open up and be themselves. The problem was, she was so used to keeping her inner self locked away that she couldn't find the nerve to let it out now, or even remember what it was. She cursed her family that forced the overwhelming expectations on her, but, when she took the time to think, she realized that it was all she had left, having thrown the rest aside as ordered. But her upbringing was not that unusual for nobility, yet the other students were able to flourish in this chaotic environment.

Perhaps it was time for her to step out and enjoy life too. Yet what could she do? She supposed that she could sidle beside a male loner and take him for a round; her prized blonde hair and sense of elegance made her the envy of most girls. If only she could get her mind off that stupid Gramont! Why was she even interested in him? He was a boisterous idiot filled with more pride than skill. Maybe it was because sometimes, just occasionally, he showed a side of nobility and kindness, even if it was clouded in his foolishness. And he had changed a lot recently, seemingly losing most of his two-sided pompous nature. At least, she had thought so, until that hussy stepped in.

And speak of the elf, she thought as she noticed a rose out of the corner of her eye. Guiche passed by her, leading a lady friend to another part of the room. It figured that he was having the time of his life, that bastard. She was too filled with envy to note the subtle jeers and stares from the other students. Hesitantly and then firmly, she moved into the crowd, slowly making her way in his general direction. The process was easier said than done, as amorous boys stopped her every five feet for requests; fortunately, her glare made them duck out fast. She finally pushed through a gap in the dancers and emerged in Guiche's section. Not wanting to be seen, she tried to duck subtly into the sidelines and observe.

However, she then froze as she began to comprehend the setting, which was different than she imagined. Instead of being in the center of the attention like the playboy usually was, Guiche was in a small corner of the room, trying to dissuade the attention he had attracted earlier. Despite the isolated location though, some people were still watching him and muttering to each other. But why? In a dance like this, where elegance and style won acclaim, a self-professed "artist" like him should have flourished. She followed their eyes, noticing that they were centered on his dance partner. Did he invite a commoner or something? If Guiche was going to dump her, he'd better have had at least some taste.

For the first time though, she looked directly at the girl, and gaped at what she had been missing the whole time. The bronze-reflected light blazed into her eyes as they widened in revelation. "Guiche," she said, pulling up the nerve to step forward, "what are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Monmon," he acknowledged her, too tired to put any boasts into it. "I thought you might stay back tonight."

"Not if I need to save you from becoming a fool," she said, hands at hips. "I thought you had a real date, not some hump of metal."

Guiche frowned slightly, but just sighed. "Well," he said, "I really haven't checked out any other girls of late, and you made your case clear.

"Besides," he added, cradling one arm of the Valkyrie as it limped from rusted legs, "I do owe her a dance after everything that's happened."

"Wait," Montmorency said as she put the pieces together, "that is what you were dancing with before? I'm surprised it's still in one piece."

"I've been working on improving my golems' endurance," he replied, "among other things."

"Couldn't you have just summoned another golem though?" she asked in puzzlement. "Wouldn't be any difference."

"Except that I've already taught this one some steps," Guiche said, smiling at the golem. "I don't want all that new knowledge to go to waste." Montmorency had no idea what Guiche meant with his rant; golems were mindless constructs of Earth magic, bent to the will of their master. Perhaps Guiche hadn't lost all his pride after all, instead funneling it into a new outlet.

Even so, Montmorency couldn't stand him being gawked at for a moment longer. "Why don't I watch it while you get some food?" she suggested. She had managed to keep her own reputation relatively high that night, so she could afford to lose a little face if it saved Guiche from humiliating himself. Besides, everyone knew that Montmorency was a water mage, not an earth one. However bad it was to dance with a mage's construct, it was just creepy to dance with your own; about as bizarre as dancing with your shadow or reflection.

"Oh, thank you," Guiche said gratefully, relinquishing the golem to her. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He then walked off to the tables, leaving Montmorency behind with his golem.

Well, this wasn't what she had been hoping for with the dance, but it was better than moping about. Still, she was not going to switch Guiche's humiliation to herself by dancing with the puppet in front of everyone. "Come on, Guiche," Montmorency said. She grabbed the golem and began to drag it away from the crowd. The golem struggled in confusion, its wound expanding slightly from the tugging. Montmorency winced at the reminder of her misunderstanding and lightened her grip; nevertheless, she continued to gently lead the golem away from the ball, although now holding her undamaged arm. "This party is rather tiring after a while," she said. "I could use some fresh air."

The couple walked out a door onto a balcony overlooking the darkened courtyard. This was what she had really been hoping for with the ball, to have time with her love. Too bad that Guiche wouldn't be able to share it with her. Although there was still hope. "This is a beautiful night, isn't it?" Montmorency said. She leaned carefully against the railing. The rail slid between her garment and skin, allowing just a tease of her chest to expose itself. "It is a miracle of the Founder that even with the delay we are still blessed with two full moons to watch over us. A romantic night, wouldn't you say?"

The golem did not reply, gazing beyond Montmorency at the starry sky. She withdrew from the railing and sighed in defeat. Even with his increased manners, Guiche still wouldn't have been able to resist the sensual allure. She had been hoping that Guiche was keeping a closer eye on his golem, but it must have been working automatically while he was occupied.

"Well," she said to the statue, "I guess it's just you and me then." Really, it was just her, since the golem was nothing more than a lump of metal fused with magic. But she was tired of being alone that night. She'd take any companionship she could, even if it was just a statue.

"It's nice to get free of the hubbub of nobility once in a while," she said. "It's our birthright and duty, of course. It's just…it gets tiring after a while. Always keeping up the façade of grace up, never letting your true feelings out. When I was young, I just wanted to help everyone. That was kicked out of me quickly. There are countless threads of politics in the system of nobility, and you can't afford to besmirch your reputation. What matters, I guess, is finding what happiness you can within the rules." If that was possible. But what choice did she have? Still, she remained hopeful that she would find some sort of fulfillment in her life. Perhaps Guiche was the answer.

"Anyways," she said, turning to the Valkyrie, "thank you for listening to me. It…really helped." The golem did not say anything, but it shifted ever so slightly.

Montmorency's eyes suddenly narrowed as a thought came to her. "Hold still," she instructed. She took some multicolored powders out of a pocket hidden in her dress and sprinkled them lightly on the golem's shoulder. She then drew out her wand and produced a tiny drop of water. When the water mixed with the chemicals, the catalyst hardened into shining new metal.

"There," she said. "However much my responsibilities as a noble weigh me down, I would not give up the power it gives me for the world." After all, she thought, it was the same sense of responsibility, when helping those below her, which gave her energy and purpose. "You'll find that the jade won't break as easy as bronze, not when it is blessed with magic. With the right ingredients, you can create a potion to solve any crisis. It's a complex art, but one that I've come to treasure."

She did not expect any thanks from the mindless entity, but was surprised to hear it slowly utter the words, "…Thank…you…Montmorency."

Montmorency smiled wryly. _So you were here all the time, weren't you Guiche? _Normally she'd be embarrassed and upset at the invasion of privacy, but right now she was just happy that he was here with her. Though, she had to admit that he was more effeminate than she thought; the voice almost sounded like a girl's. Guiche was full of so many surprises. Maybe that was why she loved him.

"You're very welcome," Montmorency told the Valkyrie. She bent down and lightly pecked a bronze cheek. "If you really want to make it up to me," she said jokingly, "try to do something productive with your time. Like potions. Who knows? You might save someone with one someday." Though she knew it was impossible, for a moment she felt that the Valkyrie's hollow eye slits glowed with a new life.

Once the team got going, the rest of the concert went smoothly. Some of the songs were a little bizarre to the Halkeginians, such as Victory Road March and Goldenrod Two-Step, but the emotion that Louise and her familiars put into them made the crowd go wild. The dances picked up their beat to go with the songs, with the revelers becoming wilder and wilder.

Finally, it was time for the closing song. Louise turned to the last page of the note sheet, but was shocked to find no song there. All that was there was a little note. _Dear Boss,_ it read, _This is the final test for the Sing training. You've done great singing other people's songs, so now it's time to sing one of your own. Just let it come to you._

Louise set down the note and turned to the waiting audience. "The…first…" she said nervously trying to piece together the words, "…Kiss?" Slowly though, she began to form the rhythm of a song. "Went and started it all," she spoke with increasing confidence, "Our quest and its beautiful history." By the time she reached the next line of the song, her tempo was flowing with emotion. "It's as if you cast a spell on my fate, when you decided to appear suddenly!"

Smiling at Louise's joy, the Rockets stepped in to fill the next verse. "In this world with two moons," Meowth began, "Glittering in the sky…"

"They never fade away," Jessie said, "It can't be right!"

"It's the very first time I've ever felt like this," James said, thinking to his unexpected friendships in the new world. "But with every day that passes, I feel much more at ease."

"Even if you fall," the three continued in unison, "If you feel nothing ever goes right…" They looked at Louise in awe. They had never felt this way about a Boss in the past, not even for Giovanni. It was a strange feeling, being so close to one's leader, but it also made them feel stronger than ever before. "We'll always hold you, never let go, and we'll always remain by your side!" Louise knew that, despite her familiars' incompetency, they meant every word. With them by her side, she never felt alone or powerless.

Louise closed her eyes briefly as the music played, and then opened them to sing the final verse. "The sweet kiss kept me warm and happy, the beautiful start of our story. And as soon as you cast that spell on me, I knew I'd stay true to my destiny." However much she was driven to madness at times, there was no way she would ever return to the way things were before. If she woke back up at the day of the ceremony, she would still kiss them, come what may. She just had to keep moving forward, with companions alongside her. "The first kiss went and started it all, our quest and its beautiful history! It's as if you cast a spell on my fate, when you decided to appear suddenly!"

The crowd went wild with cheers as the music died down. "Sorry, Boss."

"What for?" she asked, turning around to her familiars.

"Sing's supposed to make the targets fall asleep," Meowth explained, "so it looks like this training was a bust. Anyways, we're sorry we had to make you put up with this…"

"Forget it," Louise said. "As far as I'm concerned, this has been one of the most successful training sessions yet!"

"Wonder what's with her?" Meowth pondered as she bounded off happily. "Sure seems to be in a good mood."

"Would now be a good time to tell her about the cost of the equipment?" James asked.

"Only if you want to be beaten," Jessie said. "I say let sleeping Ursaring lie. Besides, this is a night to celebrate; we'll think about the consequences later."

"Unbelievable!" Derflinger spoke from Louise's belt as she walked out onto the balcony. "That voice…I've never seen a mage sing like that. And beside her familiars, to boot!"

"I don't think anyone has before," Louise said. She hoisted herself onto the railing and sat there, not caring about the risk or impropriety.

"If we're the first ones," Derf said, "then that means we're legends now. No matter what, we've left our mark on the world, and it's one that we wanted to make in the first place. Good to see that you're back in it, Partner."

"Thanks," she said. "I was really nervous, but in the end everything turned out okay." Her peers had enjoyed the music, given the way they started dancing once the beat got going. She knew that it wouldn't last the next day, but at least she'd done something she wanted to do. And who knew? As she was leaving the ball, she could hear some students lightly humming her tune.

If she worked hard enough, she could stand out in this world. Maybe that was it. Before, she had been trying to fit in, not stand out. Now…she didn't know which way she was going. No matter though; she'd just go where her heart led. If it matched the path of the world, so be it; if it did not, who cared? "The funny thing," she said, "is I didn't really care whether or not they liked it. I just wanted to have fun, and look where it got me."

"That's fate," Derflinger said, "and I don't mean that 'bound to destiny' junk some people throw around. But when you do something because your heart says so and the world goes along it, you know that fate's smiling on you. And I think it's always smiling on your team, in its own amazing way."

"It is amazing," Louise said quietly, gazing up at the light of the two moons. "It's moments like this that make me think, despite all the chaos and madness, I can find my true path."


End file.
